Karaoke Nights
by lovegrizzlybearEmmett
Summary: Bella Swan was never the kind of person to go to the big football games,so she and her friend Alice sing every Friday instead.One night,kids from their school show up.Will they help start a new tradition?And will romance start when Bella sings with Edward
1. Love is a Battlefield

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

Friday. Thank God. Time to release myself from the torture of the place I call Forks high school. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind school. I get good grades, teachers don't mind me, and I have one of the best friends in the world. But it's just _school. _It's not exactly the first place I'd want to spend my week. But now _Fridays_.

Sure there was the "big game." But that's what everyone said every week. "Oh this will be a huge game!" Bull. I had better things to do. And what better to do then spend the evening with my best friend, Mary Alice Brandon, singing my heart out at the local karaoke club. We already had our songs picked. I'm not an amazing singer, but I can kick some you know what when I sing Heart. Alice can sing just about anything as long as she can put her hyperness into it.

We approached the club with confidence and grace. Well, at least Alice did. She put me in high heels and I was stumbling around, ready to fall on my face. When we got in, a guy who looked about 15 was on stage wit h a guitar singing Eight Days a Week by The Beatles **(I was listening to it and there was okay guitar)**. The girl behind him was playing a tambourine while everyone else was clapping. Once he was done, he went to the bar and got a soda. This place didn't sell alcohol because it wanted to create a safe place for teens to go. Alice knew one of the guys who worked here, so she walked up to him and told him what song she wanted to do. He nodded and spoke into the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce Miss .Mary Alice Brandon, who will be singing Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar."

Alice got up and started doing the shoulder shake thing. She always got into the mood of the music, and guys started whistling and girls began yelling out compliments.

_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand  
No promises, no demands  
Love is a battlefield  
We are strong, no one can tell us were wrong  
Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing  
Love is a battlefield_

She sang out the last refrain and looked towards some of the guys who were eyeing one girl. They cringed and looked away, feeling the emotion that Alice was enforcing on them. Anger, pride, and determination. They felt it, and so did I. She came back down and the girl walked over and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Quinn. I just wanted to thank you. You really were something"

Alice stood there and smiled. "I was glad to help. I'm Alice, and this is Bella." I blushed. Don't ask why, I just always do that.

Quinn laughed. She flipped her unusually bright red hair and smiled. "Listen. I'm an entertainment booker for this one club in Seattle, much like this one, but it has more people. Has more security and is a really safe place. I just wanted to ask if you'd ever consider going there just to sing a couple of songs."

Alice looked excited. "Well, I'll get back to you on that." Quinn smiled really widely, exposing her gleaming white teeth. Wow.

"Here's my card. Call me when you get the chance. They pay well too." She winked and walked away.

I looked over to Alice, who just looked stunned. "Bella, she really likes me! She thinks I have talent! I can get a job!" Blah, blah, blah. I loved Alice, but the talked too much. I just smiled and nodded. She walked away towards her friend. She said something, and he nodded. She looked at me and I knew something was up.

"Singing next is Bella Swan! She will be singing Barracuda by Heart!"

I glared at Alice for five seconds before walking up to the stage. I didn't want to sing till later, but the evil little pixie wanted to torture me. I wasn't even warmed up! The base came on and I just took deep breaths and began thinking calming thoughts.

_So this aint the end -  
I saw you again today  
I had to turn my heart away  
Smiled like the sun -  
Kisses for real  
And tales - it never fails!_

The door quickly opened and I found myself staring at the faces of people who went to my school.

You lying so low in the weeds  
I bet you gonna ambush me  
You'd have me down down down down on my knees  
Now wouldn't you, barracuda?

I looked at Alice's foster siblings, Edward Masen and Emmett McCarty. Emmett began whistling while Edward was smiling at me. I almost forgot the lyrics, thanks to his gorgeous green eyes. I turned my attention away from him and began pouring out the words.

Back over time we were all  
Trying for free  
You met the porpoise and me  
No right no wrong, selling a song-  
A name, whisper game.

If the real thing don't do the trick  
You better make up something quick  
You gonna burn burn burn burn it to the wick  
Ooooooh, barracuda?

Sell me sell you the porpoise said  
Dive down deep down to save my head  
You...i think you got the blues too.

All that night and all the next  
Swam without looking back  
Made for the western pools - silly fools!

If the real thing don't do the trick  
No, you better make up something quick  
You gonna burn burn burn burn it to the wick  
Ooooooohhhh, barra barracuda.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.

As soon as I was done, all the male peers were whistling and shouting out compliments. I exited the stage with red cheeks. How did they know we were here? Emmett I didn't mind, he was practically my brother, but everyone else. Especially Edward. I'd always had a small crush on him, but who can blame me? Those eyes! That unique bronze hair! What's not to like? Emmett quickly wrapped me in a bear hug and started saying things like "That was hott!" and "My little Bella isn't so little anymore." I would've rolled my eyes but I couldn't breathe. He quickly let go of me and hugged Alice. She could handle it. She hugged him back just as strongly just as Edward walked up to me.

"That was really good, Bella!" I, of course, blushed.

"Thanks."  
He smiled at me as I walked towards Alice and said "Let's go home. We need to talk." She rolled her eyes but didn't complain as I dragged her out, with all eyes on us.


	2. I Feel Like A Woman

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

So now we were walking to the car, and Alice didn't say anything. I started feeling really bad, so I started talking. "Alice, I'm really sorry. I was just really embarrassed and I didn't expect them to be there. But why did you tell them that we were there?"

Alice finally talked, thank God. "Bella, I only told Emmett. You know how protective he is. I just didn't want him to worry, so I told him where we were going."We were right by Alice's yellow Porche. Her dream car. Heck, even I dreamed of it, except in midnight blue. Any ways, we walked up to her car and she quickly unlocked the door, grabbed her purse, and locked it again.

"Alice, what was that for? I thought we were going home?" She just shook her head and gave me a devious smile. Oh crap. "We're not going back, are we?" She nodded. Mental note: Kill Alice once we get home. We walked into the club to hear Emmett talking above the crowd without a microphone. His voice was loud enough.

"Ladies and guys, I would like to dedicate this song to all the ladies out there. Guys, here is a true mans' song." A freshman that went to our school walked up to the stage and grabbed a mic for her and Emmett. As soon as I heard the intro, I began laughing to the point of tears. It was so Emmett.

_Let's go girls_

_I'm going out tonight, I'm feelin alright, _

_Gonna let it all hang out  
Wanna make some noise  
Really raise my voice  
Yeah, I wanna scream and shout  
No inhibitions - make no conditions  
Get a little outta line  
I ain't gonna act politically correct  
I only wanna have a good time_

_The best thing about being a woman  
Is the prerogative  
To have a little fun and..._

_Oh, oh, oh totally crazy  
Forget I'm a lady  
Men's shirt - short skirts  
Oh, oh, oh really go wild - yeah  
Doin' it in style  
Oh, oh, oh gat in the action - feel the attraction  
Color my hair  
Do what I dare  
Oh, oh, oh I wanna be free  
Yeah, to feel the way I feel  
Man! I feel like a woman!_

Emmett and the freshman girl continued singing, and I almost pissed myself. He winked at Rosalie Hale, his girlfriend, who just rolled her eyes and glared for a couple seconds before smirking. Rosalie never liked me, though I was never sure why. Alice said she felt threatened by a lot of girls, and that Rose just feared for her relationship. Why she felt she needed to protect her unbreakable bond with Emmett, I had no clue.

Guys were cheering and a few were smacking Emmett in the butt. Emmett's friend, whose name I still didn't know, was fending off guys who were trying to smack her butt. I thought she was going to kill somebody with her glare. The guys soon backed off and Emmett walked up to me and hugged me again.

"I'm glad you came back and saw that. Good thing you're supporting us girls. Men just don't get where that song is coming from!" I rolled my eyes. I seemed to be doing that a lot tonight. Alice was talking in the corner with Jasper Whitlock. Well, flirting sounds more appropriate.

Jasper was Rosalie's cousin, and Alice has liked him ever since we were twelve. I even had a short live crush on him. He had bright blue eyes and a shy yet breathtaking smile. Alice kept giggling and I swear I saw her blush once. They suddenly grabbed each other's hand and walked to Alice's friend that worked here. He nodded and spoke into the microphone.

"Now introducing the song I Miss You by Blink 182, being sung by Edward Masen and Bella Swan." The intro came on, and I thought I was going to pass out. Stupid, stupid Alice. I was going to have to kill her twice. Edward went up to the stage reluctantly, and I felt my feet walking up to the stage towards him. Oh crap. I looked at him and he smiled at me before he began singing the first verse.

_Hello there, the angel from my nightmare  
The shadow in the background of the morgue  
The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley  
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want  
Where you can always find me  
And we'll have Halloween on Christmas  
And in the night we'll wish this never ends  
We'll wish this never ends_

(I miss you, miss you)  
(I miss you, miss you)

Listening to his voice, I almost fainted by the perfection. I quickly composed myself and began singing the second verse.__

Where are you and I'm so sorry  
I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight  
I need somebody and always  
This sick strange darkness  
Comes creeping on so haunting every time  
And as I stared I counted  
Webs from all the spiders  
Catching things and eating their insides  
Like indecision to call you  
And hear your voice of treason  
Will you come home and stop this pain tonight  
Stop this pain tonight

_  
Don't waste your time on me you're already  
The voice inside my head (I miss you, miss you)  
Don't waste your time on me you're already  
The voice inside my head (I miss you, miss you)_

Don't waste your time on me you're already  
The voice inside my head (I miss you, miss you)  
Don't waste your time on me you're already  
The voice inside my head (I miss you, miss you)

Don't waste your time on me you're already  
The voice inside my head (I miss you, miss you)  
Don't waste your time on me you're already  
The voice inside my head (I miss you, miss you)

(I miss you, miss you)  
(I miss you, miss you)  
(I miss you, miss you)  
(I miss you, miss you)

I was surprised in the end when he put his arm around my waist and whispered in my ear, "You sounded amazing." I blushed about a million different reds. We sounded wonderful. Well, he did.

"You did too," I said really quietly. He smiled his infamous crooked smile, and I thought he was trying to kill me. First his voice, then his smile! What next? I just tried smiling back while regulating my breathing. Guys were cheering and girls were whistling. I got off the stage and remembered that I was supposed to be mad at Alice.

I walked up to Alice and grabbed her by her shirt. She shrieked. She looked at me with hurt eyes. She treasured her fashion. But then I realized she had another reason to be upset. I interrupted a conversation she had with Jasper. I looked away from her hurt eyes and said for the second time that night, "Let's go home."

**AN: So what did you think? Good songs? Anyway, I chose Emmett's song because he reminds me of my cousin, who sings that song and it's hilarious. So, I'm trying to put up a poll to see what I should name Emmet's friend's name. So, I'll try getting it up ASAP. Thank you.**


	3. Kiss Me

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

The car ride home was silent. I mean, I felt like crap for interrupting Alice and her potential intimate conversation with Jasper, but she had no right to do that to me. I soon got frustarted and blew up in her face.

"Mary Alice Brandon, if you don't start talking within the next thirty seconds, I am not going to sleep over!" That was a pretty bad threat, considering the fact that it was our tradition to sleep over at her house every Friday. I even had my own dresser and closet (thanks to Alice and her obsessive shopping).

She quickly closed her eyes and sighed. "Bella, I don't want you to be mad. I just know how much you like Edward and I figured that I could try to hook you up. I'm sorry. It was very wrong and I won't do it again. Can you forgive me?"

"Oh Alice, that's very ummm…sweet of you… but I'm pretty sure I can handle my non-existent love life. I should apologize to you. I feel bad for interrupting you and Jasper. Can you forgive _me?_"

"Of course! Oh, and by the way, a bunch of Emmett and Edward's friends are sleeping over, and they're doing karaoke in the living room. Can we join them?" She gave me the most heart wrenching pout. I, of course, being the hopeless pushover I am, nodded. Great, more embarrassment for Bella. At least she won't be doing Bella Barbie all night. Hurrah!

We pulled up to the house and ran inside. I didn't know why we were running until Alice went straight to the living room and began setting up the karaoke machine. Then she practically dragged me upstairs to her room. She began throwing outfits everywhere until she found more of a costume then an actual outfit for herself. Great, a party. She always dressed up in costumes when there was a party. She reached into my dresser and found a dazzling midnight blue dress. It looked exactly like hers. She was in the bathroom, curling her hair. Then she looked at me and pulled out the flat iron. Oh crap.

After doing my hair, we heard a knock at her door and Rosalie walked in, wearing an identical dress to mine and Alice's, except in red. Her hair was wavy and had a red flower put in it with bright red lipstick. Emmett was a lucky man. Poor guy would probably have a heart attack from her. Rosalie walked straight towards me and began doing my makeup while Alice did hers. Once that painful task was done, I received a flower that matched my dress and Alice had a purple one pinned in her hair. I had no idea what the hell we were doing, but I wasn't having any fun yet.

When we walked downstairs, I saw the freshman girl getting ready to play a guitar. Then she began to strum it and tune it. Once she was done, she spoke into the microphone that was set up.

"Okay, so I'm Donna, and I will be playing guitar while my friend, Seth, will be singing. We will be doing the song Kiss Me by New Found Glory." She began strumming the guitar and everyone started smiling. She had talent, and Seth was doing an excellent job singing. Once they were done, Emmett started cheering and saying things like "OMG I'm like your biggest fan" and "I'm gonna make a 'Seth is my bf' t-shirt and sell them on Ebay." Wow, only Emmett, right?

Alice then went up to the microphone began talking. "Well that was flipping AWESOME! Now, we have three very talented girls singing the song Let's Get you know what and Die by Motion City Soundtrack and if you don't know what, then you'll find out. Okay, Rose, Bells, get over here." I just stared at her and could feel my face changing color very quickly.

Emmett broke the silence very quickly and said "Yeahhhhhhhhhhh, lets go ladies. My girls!" Donna glared at him and he quickly corrected himself. "Of course, you're one of my girls too, Donna." All of a sudden, Alice began singing and the music started playing.

_Let's get f***** up and die..  
I'm speaking figuratively, of course..  
Like the last time that I committed suicide.. social suicide..  
Yeah, so I'm already dead on the inside,  
But I can still pretend with my memories and photographs,  
I have learned to love the lie._

I wanna know what it's like to be awkward and innocent, not belligerent.  
I wanna know how it feels to be useful and pertinent and have common sense.. yeah  
Let me in, let me in to the club, cuz I wanna belong,  
And I need to get strong, and if memory serves,  
I'm addicted to words and they're useless.

After Alice was done, Rose began singing, and my jaw almost literally dropped to the floor. He voice was sophisticated and welcoming. I thought she would have more of a Britney Spears voice, but then again I never really heard her talk. My self esteem dropped about 10 percent more. As if looking at her beauty wasn't bad enough, now she had to have a wonderful voice. Wow.__

(In this department)  
Let's get f***** up and die..  
I'm riding hard on the last lines of every lie,  
And the BMX bike of my life is about to explode,  
I'm about to explode.  
I'm a mess, I'm a wreck.  
I am perfect, and I have learned to accept all my problems and short comings,  
Cause I am so visceral, yet deeply inept.

I want to thank you for being a part of my forget-me-nots and marigolds..  
And all the things that don't get old..  
Is it legal to do this? I surely don't know.  
It's the only way I have learned to express myself through other peoples' descriptions of life..  
I'm afraid I'm alone and entirely useless...

I began singing with the strongest voice I had, and I knew that after Rosalie's breathtaking performance, I would sound like crap.__

(In this department)  
Let's get f***** up and die.  
For the last time with feeling  
we'll try not to smile  
As we cover our heads and drink heavily into the nights  
That still shock and surprise.  
I believe that I can, overcome this and beat everything in the end  
But I choose to abuse for the time being,  
maybe I'll win, but for now I've decided to die.

Sister soldier  
You've been such a positive influence on my mental frame  
If I could ever repay you,  
I would, but I'm hard up for cash  
And my memory lacks initiative.

God damn the liquor store's closed,  
we were so close to scoring  
it hurts, it destroys 'til it kills..  
I am tired and hungry and totally useless.  
(In this department)

Once I was done, everyone was cheering and I was smiling. I was slowly beginning to feel more confident around all my peers. Edward walked up to me and I stopped breathing.

"Not only do you look great, but your performance was spectacular!" He kissed my hand and walked away. If it was any other guy, I'd tell him to screw off and to stop being a flirt, but with Edward, I didn't have the ability to say anything. I just began to regulate my breathing. Wonderful, now I was going to faint in front of everyone, could I embarrass myself any more? Well, if I didn't faint, then God must have something else planned. Of course, He did, and as I was walking out of the room with red cheeks, I tripped over thin air. Ready to catch myself, I felt arms around my waist holding me up. I felt those arms earlier that night. I turned around to see Edward with another heart stopping smirk. "Well, maybe you can't walk without tripping, but you can most certainly sing, Bella."

My face reddened and I stood up. Edward steadied me and I walked up the stairs. Crap, crap, crap. I changed into sweatpants and a tank top and put a hoodie on. Then I put my hair in a pony tail and collapsed into Alice's bed. Sleep came pretty quickly, and I couldn't even escape the embarrassment in my dreams.

**AN: So, did I do a good job? I'm going to try to put the dress on my profile. Well, did I put on good songs? So, I want to dedicate this chapter to ****4everbellaxedward**** for helping me not seem like an idiot. Thanks a lot for your help. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I will try putting the next chapter on soon.**


	4. Jasper's Girl?

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

I woke up, tired and cranky. What a wonderful way to wake up, right? Psht. NO! Stupid Alice and her stupid, social behavior. But I couldn't stay mad for too long because I smelled pancakes. Esme's soul melting, breath taking pancakes were almost literally to die for. I walked down the stairs, entranced by the smell. I was soon broken out of the trance when I tripped on the last stair. Great, another broken wrist for Carlisle to fix! But, surprisingly, someone caught me. The last arms I was expecting held me up.

Donna. For such a small person, she sure was tough. She was about 4 inches taller than Alice and had short strawberry blonde hair that hung in her eyes. Then I saw her eyes. Striking grey eyes that made me want to cry popped out over the color of her hair and tanner skin. I couldn't believe I had never noticed them before. She steadied me and brushed the hair out of her eyes. She gave me a beautiful groggy smile with happy, tired eyes.

"Well," she said, "I'm going to guess that you're not a morning person?"

"No it's not that… I'm just not a well balanced walking human being." She laughed. Even her laugh was pretty, and it lit up a room like Alice's. They weren't too different. She gave me one last smile and walked to the living room. I heard a grunt coming from the living room, then a loud _smack_ and _thump_.

Esme's voice called out "Donna! Be careful with Emmett. He can't defend himself from you!" I burst out laughing. Emmett, weaker than _anyone_? Especially Donna. Wow. I walked into the kitchen to see Carlisle drinking coffee and helping Esme. I love watching them in the kitchen. They would always kiss each other's cheeks and rub each other's arms. So cute! They were the happiest couple I had ever seen, and I hoped I could end up like them. I went up behind Esme and hugged her around the waist. Then I sneaked a strawberry in my mouth. She smiled at me and playfully smacked my arm. Then she said "Better get some before Emmett and Donna eat it all."

I laughed and got out the plates. Alice walked in the kitchen then, holding Jasper's hand. I almost squealed, but Donna beat me to it. "Finally, Jazzy Boy, it took you long enough! If I was you, I would've asked her like a month a go when you first started telling people you like her! Geez, scared much? Man up faster!" She left the room and I was giggling. Donna seemed so sweet, yet she had a lot of sass and attitude.

"A month? Took you long enough," Alice said.

"Oh come on! Don't you gang up on me too! At least I finally asked!"

"That you did," Alice said, kissing below his chin, since she couldn't reach any higher. I smiled and walked into the living room.

Emmett and Donna were wrestling on the ground, and Donna was pinning him while Edward was counting. "1... 2… and Em kicks out!"

"I told you I hate that name, Ed!"

"Point taken," said Edward. I blushed when he looked at me and smiled.

Donna had Emmet in a headlock, and she was pulling his hair. "Say uncle, Em, say UNCLE!"

"NO, NEVER!"

"Kids, settle down! Emmet, you know Donna will win. She always does," yelled Esme. Just at that moment, Donna pinned him, and Edward counted to three. Donna then somehow picked Emmett up in a fireman carry and threw him on the couch. Then Emmett and Donna froze and sniffed the air. Immediately they began drooling.

"Bacon…" Emmett said quietly. Donna nodded, and they suddenly got up and ran to the kitchen.

I walked after them and Edward waited for me to pass. "Ladies first, Bella." There he goes again, flirting. Geez. I walked into the kitchen to Emmett and Donna each grabbing two plates and loading them. Esme gave them a warning glance and they put one plate down and loaded the other. No one was up except Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett, Donna, Jasper, Alice, and an extremely cranky Rosalie who wouldn't stop glaring at Emmett and Donna. Eating was the only time Emmett was quiet. Everyone else was talking, and Alice and Jasper were holding hands again. Emmett made a gagging noise, and Alice threw a leftover soda can at his head. He snickered and returned to his silent ceremony of eating.

Emmett had all his food done in five minutes, and Donna in seven, so Emmett cleared his throat and said, "I feel a song coming on! Let's go wake everyone up! Donna, get the guitar set up, I have inspiration!" She followed him into the living room and we finished eating and went to the living room.

In the living room, Donna's guitar was set up, and Emmett had the microphone ready.

"Alright, all you sleepyheads… wow that sounded stupid… lazy bums, wake up call! Don, hit it!"

Donna quickly raised her eyebrows before beginning to play. I knew the song and I had an idea of where Emmett was going with it.

_Jasper is a friend,  
yeah, I know he's been  
a good friend of mine  
But lately something's changed  
that ain't hard to define  
Jasper's got himself a girl  
and I want to make her mine  
And she's watching him with those eyes  
And she's lovin' him with that body,  
I just know it  
Yeah 'n' he's holding her  
in his arms late,  
late at night_

You know, I wish that I had Jasper's girl,  
I wish that I had Jasper's girl  
Where can I find a pixie like that

Alice was giggling while sitting in Jasper's lap, and Jasper was shaking his head and smiling. Once the song was done, everyone else was up because the volume was turned up almost all the way. Everyone who just woke up was glaring at Emmett, but then they just shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Pretty soon everyone else walked out of the living room, and then there was just me and Edward. And I just realized that he was sitting right next to me. Wow, I was extremely unobservant today.

Edward scooted about an inch closer and I couldn't breathe. "So Bella, did you have fun last night?" I nodded, since my voice would have failed me. "Really? Why did you go to bed early then? I know that you don't like huge crowds, but Alice really wants you to have fun."

"Yeah, you forgot that she wants to embarrass me." He looked at me shook his head.

"It was supposed to be fun…"

"For her it was fun, not for me though. We have different ideas of fun. We established that when we first became friends. I feel like I'm not enough fun for her and she's trying to replace me with a boyfriend and a bunch of new friends. I can't understand why I'm not enough just being me. I always have been before last night when all you guys came in. Am I ruining her mood?" I was spilling my guts out to him, which made it easier when I didn't look at his eyes.

"Bella, look at me. First, Alice's mood can't be smeared. Second, Alice loves you because you're shy and timid and you would rather read a book than party all the time. You keep her sane and responsible. Third, no matter how many friends she has or how important Jasper becomes to her, you're always going to be needed by her. And last, nothing can replace you, Bella. You're not only important to Alice, but to this family. So I don't want to hear you talking about being unwanted again. You're always wanted here. You even have a room! Alice is always talking of how she really wants you to move in because you're her sister. Your one of the closest people to Alice and have changed her life. And don't get me started on Esme, Emmett, or Carlisle… or me."

I stared at him. I was important to him? The idea made my heart do cartwheels and cannonballs. I got overexcited, and I didn't want to be disappointed if it wasn't the kind of thing I thought he was saying. I looked down and sighed. After a long silence that felt like hours, I felt Edward lift my chin up and look into my eyes.

"Bella, your always wanted, no needed here, okay? By me, Alice, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, and even Donna likes you a lot. She thinks you're as she called 'lick my lips and kiss a girl sexy'. Which is kind of weird, but she learned to talk that way from Emmett."

"Who else would teach her that?" I said quietly. He smiled and leaned in. Oh gosh…

He leaned into my face and kissed my forehead. My heart was pounding like a hammer, and I was soaring.

"Bella, we love you. All of us do." Love, I thought. He was included in the "we" and that was what really mattered to me. Just maybe...maybe not. "So, Isabella, are you ready to cheer up? I hate seeing you sad." I looked into his sincere eyes again and nodded. "Well, that's good! Let's go." Maybe Alice had put him up to that, but I was glad if she did. It was the encouragement I needed.

"Oh, by the way, Bella?" I nodded and he smiled and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "Do you think you could go to the movies tonight with me, Alice, Emmett, Rose, and Jasper?" He didn't want to be the third wheel. So I nodded and smiled. I was kind of hurt that Alice didn't invite me, but I was still blissful that Edward had asked _me_. "You don't talk much, do you, Bella?"

"Well, I usually like to listen before I talk. Then I won't sound stupid."

"You underestimate yourself. You'll be riding with me tonight. I'll pick you up. You'll have plenty time to listen and talk then."

"Is it a date?" I blurted out then covered my mouth. Stupid, idiotic, mouth. He waited a few seconds, then smiled and said "Absolutely."

**A.N.: Did you like it? Sorry it took so long. So, I wanted to get more towards the point of the story, which is mainly Bella and Edward's relationship. Do you think I moved to fast with it? How do you like Donna? I kind of inspired her in a way. She's short and tries to act really tough, and so do I. So, I'm not sure what movie I should make them see. Are there any good ones out that you know of? Pleas, private message me if you have any movie recommendations. Thank you, dear readers. Wow, that was corny- ish.**


	5. Dear God

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

Alice finally separated herself from Jasper with a small peck on the cheek and we walked outside. I still hadn't really talked to her about it, and I was still upset that she didn't tell me anything. Still, I wasn't going to let it bother me too much more. The door slammed open and Donna ran out with a giant duffle bag.

"Alice! Wait, don't go yet! I need a ride! Wait!"

"Donna," Alice said loudly, "I haven't even started the car yet! Shut up and get in!"

Donna crawled into the backseat and I went into the passenger seat. Alice jumped into the car. I mean, literally jumped. I had no idea how she did it, but I'm sure I couldn't do it in my lifetime. Alice drove down the road at the speed that would've given my dad a heart attack. He didn't know Alice's wild side because he just saw the sweet little polite dwarf that everyone knew and loved. Donna sat in the back quietly while staring out the window.

"Bella," Alice said, "I'll be right back out. I just have to drop this off at Angela's house." She held up a dark blue hoodie with a price tag.

"Alice," I said, "That's not the sweater Angela was wearing yesterday! Why must you buy someone something because you think you absolutely have to replace their 'ugly' clothing?! Stay out of her crap!"

"But you should've seen it! I was going to burn her along with the sweatshirt if it didn't come off!"

Donna rolled her eyes and flipped Alice off. Alice stuck her tongue out and parked in front of Angela's house. "Be right back."

"Yeah, that's likely," Donna mumbled in a sarcastic tone. Once Alice stepped out of the car, Donna began talking and boy, could she talk.

"Bella, I'm going to help you as best as I can for tonight for the date." Wow. News got around fast. "I'm less torturous than Alice and I know Edward's dating history better than Alice because Edward trusts me better. Now, do you think you could tell your dad that you're helping me with English or something?" I nodded and she smiled. "Great! I'll tell you what I can and I'll help you out, just don't tell Alice or else she'll want in. Remember, you're tutoring me, ok?" I nodded again just as Alice jumped in again. How did she do that? I thought about what Donna said. Dating history? I knew he had some, but I didn't think it was a true history.

Alice turned on the radio and a song that I didn't recognize came on. Donna smiled and began humming the violin. I knew I heard it from somewhere, but I couldn't remember it. Donna began singing after the guitar came on.

_Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen  
So unsure but it seems, 'cause we've been waiting for you  
Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste  
Of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway_

I see a distant light, but girl this can't be right  
Such a surreal place to see so how did this come to be  
Arrived too early

And when I think of all the places I just don't belong  
I've come to grips with life and realize this is going too far

I don't belong here, we gotta move on dear  
Escape from this afterlife  
'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on  
Far away from here

The radio stopped and we were in front of my house. Donna got a scary, angry look in her eyes, and began yelling at Alice.

"WHAT THE HECK? THAT IS MY FAVORITE SONG EVER, AND YOU JUST TURNED IT OFF! YOU B…"

"Donna," I hissed, "My dad is right in the house so you might want to shut up!" Donna smiled apologetically and walked up to the door with me. I looked back to Alice, and she gave me a questioning look, then her eyes turned sad. I shrugged it off and walked in.

"Dad," I yelled, "is it okay if I have a friend over?" He looked up from the paper at Donna and nodded.

Charlie got up and walked towards Donna and shook her hand. "So, you're the Denali girl, right?" Donna nodded and started walking up the stairs. Denali? Why did that sound so familiar? Then I remembered. Tanya Denali. She went out with Edward for two weeks. I looked over at Donna and noticed that their hair and noses were the same. I'd heard that Tanya moved back to Alaska with her mother. I knew that Tanya had three older sisters, but not a younger one.

"So, Bella, do you listen to A7X?"

"Who?"

"Avenged Sevenfold."

"What?"

"It's a band. They sing the song that was playing in the car."

"Oh. I usually don't listen to too much hard rock."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, I'll just have to rockify you."

"Rockify?"

"Yupp. By the end of this, you'll be a true hard rocking whore… wait that came out wrong!"

I rolled my eyes. "Is that good or bad?"

"It's amazing. You should feel blessed to have a person who's as wise as me to teach you what I know!"

She plugged her iPod into my speakers and began playing a soft country song. "The song on the radio was Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold. This is Dear God, which is also by them." It was a beautiful song, and I was surprised that the same people who sang thrashing hard rock songs could also do country.

Throughout the morning, Donna was filling my mind with bands and songs. I never thought that I could like bands like Slipknot or…Atreyu. Yeah, that's them. But she made the music better with her voice and passion. Once it was one o'clock, Donna got out a small makeup bag and a curling iron.

"Are you ready Bella?" I nodded and she plugged the iron in and went to my closet.

Her small hands worked delicately with the clothes as she picked out jeans, a black t-shirt, and a blue tank top. She sat me in a chair and began brushing my hair lightly. Then the picked up the curling iron and made small curls in my hair. She then applied eyeliner, light grey eye shadow, and lip gloss. I looked at me face and realized just how good Donna was with these things. She didn't pile the makeup on, but she made it noticeable.

"Okay, now go get changed. Put the tank top on over the t-shirt."

I changed quickly and walked out and shoed her. Donna smiled and whistled at me. I blushed and giggled. "Now, Bella, Edward's dating history 101!"

I groaned and sighed.

"Okay, let's see... oh right! So, Edward has only had, like, one official girlfriend, which was my sister Tanya. It didn't work because he didn't feel a connection. And plus, I think he has a thing against going out with blondes. He usually only goes on a date if there's an event that needs one. Otherwise, his dating history is pretty lame."

I stared at her for a second, and then I sighed in relief. It made me feel better to know that Edward wasn't too much more experienced than me. But then again, why do I care? I knew the answer, but I didn't want to believe it.

I saw the infamous silver Volvo that every girl in town knew and hoped one day to ride in. I looked back at Donna and she winked and pushed me forward to the door. I grabbed my jacket and ran out the door. Edward smiled when he saw me and I mirrored him. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a grey t-shirt with blue writing. I couldn't read it, but I didn't care what it read. He looked good in whatever he wore. Edward opened the passenger door and helped me in.

"You look great, Bella."

"Thank you. You look better." *Blush*

"So, do you want to know what we're going to see?" I nodded. "We're seeing The Day the Earth Stood Still at Alice's request."

Alice loved Keanu Reeves. She only watched the Matrix movies because he was in it. I didn't really get the plot of the movies, but she seems completely fascinated by it.

Edward kept making small talk with me, asking me which teachers I had and which classes he could help me in, which was all of them since he was a genius. After about twenty minutes, he pulled into the parking lot. A very excited Alice came jumping towards us, surprisingly without Jasper by her side. The look she gave me that morning reminded me that I should talk to her, but I couldn't bring myself to talk about it.

"Why, Bella, you look nice. I didn't know you had makeup or a curling iron." Alice looked me up and down and mouthed 'Talk Later.'

"Well, Alice, I had a friend help me without torture. Something you wouldn't know how to do. She was a great _friend_ who told me a lot of _important_ things. She didn't pick out a skirt or anything that would make me feel uncomfortable. Another trait you wouldn't have."

She looked hurt and turned away from me. I shouldn't have felt bad, but she was making it difficult. Emmett pulled into the parking lot with his monstrous jeep. He hopped out and then went to the passenger side to lift Rosalie out. He took her hand and said something to her. She replied and he pouted. They continued to walk by and walked right past us.

"…but Rose, Donna isn't any trouble at all. We even share popcorn. I promise we won't throw any this time!"

"Emmett," Rosalie hissed, "you got us kicked out last time! And I never finished the movie. Now Donna isn't coming, and that's final! _Understand?" _He winced and nodded. We walked into the theater, and Edward held my hand. The movie would go by quickly if he kept holding my hand. Not that I wanted it to go by quickly.

Edward bought the ticket, much to my aggravation, and the popcorn. I pouted and he just chuckled. Stupid, gorgeous, generous Edward. Wow, that made no sense. I had more good things than bad to say about him, and the bad one isn't even true. He's too perfect. He led me to the theater and we sat in the middle. Alice sat next to Edward and left me sitting on Edward's right side, not that I was complaining. I thought she would've sat next to me, but she just snuggled up to Jasper and glared at me. What…the…heck? Emmett sat to Jasper's left and began making out with Rosalie. Edward threw a candy bar at Emmett's head, and he opened it and ate it. Rosalie sighed and looked at the screen.

The movie began, and Edward grabbed my hand. I looked over to him and he smiled at me. The guy sitting next to me kept looking at me, and I didn't like the looks. He was creepy. He fell asleep after I glared at him.

After a while, Edward rested his arm around my shoulder, causing my blush to come even darker. It wasn't the cheap yawn-and-stretch move, but he just did it in a casual way that made my heart soar.

All too soon, the movie was over. What was it about again? All I knew was that Keanu Reeves was in it and there were aliens and stuff like that. The creep woke up and smiled at me one more time before leaving.

"So Bells," said Emmett "did you like the movie?" Crap.

" Ummmm… I wasn't really paying attention." Alice stared at me in shock and Rosalie rolled her eyes at me. I was doing a really great job at getting friends and keeping them, right?

I grabbed Edward's hand again and said "Let's go." He looked at me and nodded.

The car started and the tears started falling. Edward's hand touched my cheek lightly and he looked at me with concern. "Bella," he whispered quietly "what's wrong?" I shook my head. "You know you can tell me anything. I'm here for you. Remember what I said this morning? Well, I meant it."

I looked at him and sighed. "Alice is really upsetting me. She's barely said a thing to me today. And we're supposed to be best friends. But she's making it really difficult for me to trust her if she doesn't tell me that she's going out with someone. And I'm not trying to make her jealous. I just want her to know that there are other people who are there for me. Like Donna. She was there when Alice wasn't. And I think I just want to make her feel bad for making me feel bad." I breathed and let the tears fall.

"Bella…" he sighed. Then he brought my face closer to his. Oh my…

He kept leaning in, and to say I was nervous would be an understatement. I closed my eyes and felt his lips touch my forehead. Disappointment and relief came over me at once. He held my hand and said, "You're home." I sighed and was about to open the door when he pulled me to him again and pecked me on the lips.

"Goodnight, beautiful."

I couldn't speak. As corny as that sounds, it was true. And that was only a peck. What would happen if he kissed me for real? My heart hammered to the point of throbbing. I stepped out of the car and walked, dazed, up to my room. Charlie stared at my zombie- like state and sighed. I closed my door and fell onto the bed. I dreamed of Edward that night, and I knew I was in love.

Edward's POV

Bella. Her name doesn't even begin to describe her. I had never really and truly fallen in love. The love I had for Tanya was ore of a friendship kind, and I knew she understood. But I never knew I could fall in love with Bella. I've known Bella for years, but I never really got to know her. Now, since I'd heard her sing, I felt like I have been missing out on the best things life has. As corny as it may sound, I first fell in love with Bella's voice. Then her blush. Then her smile. And pretty soon, I'd fallen for all of her. Every aspect of her is perfect. Everyone has flaws, but Bella's are what make her and angel. I loved her with all my heart. It was soon, but people can't stop the throbbing heart I have for Bella. Emmett told me that it would happen to me one day, but it was becoming unbearable. I needed to see her, to hear her voice.

That night, I snuck in through her window. If her dad found me, I would probably be arrested, but I was willing to risk my freedom just to see and hear her. I stood in the corner of her room for a couple minutes. No sound. Just as I was about to leave, she mumbled my name. If possible, my heart throbbed even more and I wanted to hold her. What such a little action or word could do to a man's heart. She mumbled my name again and again. Then, when she mumbled it for the fourth time, it was followed by the three words that I was dying to hear from her.

"I love you."

**A.N. Did you like it? It didn't go how I planned, but I have to say I was quite pleased with what I wrote. These past two days have been very hectic. We got a bomb threat at our school, and only like 7% of the students showed up. Then we were sent home because we got even more threats. Not fun. But at least I got to write this for you.**

**Rockify… I like it! What about you? Cool word? Well, I know I'm moving Bella and Edward's relationship fast, but it'll work out in the end. And sorry about making Edward seem creepy and obsessed. He just has so much love to give and he wants to give it all to Bella. Well… like the songs? If you love Avenged Sevenfold, please review! Even if you don't, please review. Not like I'm begging or anything…**

**Chapter dedicated to nickiegirl1123 for her help. Thank you!**


	6. Lullaby

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

Still EPOV

I was looking at Bella for who knows how long and thinking about what she said. She was sleeping and maybe she was talking about someone else when she said it. Still, I couldn't help but to hope that it was me. That I was the one she had pleasant dreams about. I glanced over to the clock and almost crapped myself when I looked at the time.

It was 3 A.M. I didn't think it was possible for me to stay up that long. I tried opening the window, but it wouldn't budge without making a noise. I remembered that the police chief lived here, and shuddered. I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone. There was only one person I trusted to not tell anyone. Donna. I began texting her. **(A.N. Edward's texts will be italicized and Donna's texts will be underlined)**

_Hey I need your help could you sneak out and help me get out of Bella's room from the window._

I waited. Then my phone vibrated and I got it out.

WTF? Eddie, you have a lot of explaining to do! What were you gonna do, rape her? Idiot!

_Donna, just come and help me I'll tell you everything l8er._

YOU BETTER! Just wait by the window and I'll be there in a couple minutes. 

I waited till I saw a light going up the tree and pointing at the window. I didn't see anything, but I saw some branches moving. Donna's face peeked out from the branches and she was clearly not happy. She put something in the creases of the window and lifted the window slowly. The window opened without a sound and I climbed over to the tree while Donna shut the window. I took one last look through the window and looked at Bella. Once my feet hit the ground, Donna started talking. Well, hissing sounds more appropriate.

"Edward Anthony Masen! You idiot! What the hell were you thinking? You creep! Were you going to molest her or something? If you were, then I will not hesitate to chop your balls off! I can't believe you would do something like this. You're lucky I won't tell anyone. Just tell me what's going on!"

I sighed and whispered to her, "Donna, I love her. I know it's weird and creepy, but I feel empty without her. I just needed to see her. I wasn't going to put a finger on her, I promise. I just needed to see her. You feel the same way about…" Donna cut me off.

"It's not the same because I wouldn't sneak into his room just to watch him. But I see your point. Just don't do it again. I'm really tired and I walked here. So, do you have the Volvo?" I nodded and began leading her around the corner towards my car. I looked over at Donna when we got in the car and saw she wasn't wearing shoes. "My shoes are in the living room and I wasn't just going to walk out of my house." I nodded and started the car.

The car ride was silent and awkward. Once I stopped in front of her house, Donna looked at me and sighed. She gave me a quick hug and ran to her window. Once she was out of sight, I drove home. Once I got home, I snuck up to my room and fell onto the bed. Then I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke up, I saw a small figure about to jump on my bed. Then I felt like I was being punched in the gut. I looked up to see Donna looking at me with amused eyes. I got out of bed and realized I was only in boxers. This didn't seem to bother Donna, but I was uncomfortable. I put pants on and sat on my couch.

"So," I said, "What are you doing here, Donnie?" I always called her Donnie and she was the only person who I let call me Eddie.

"Well, I need to talk to you about homecoming. You see, I need a date…" I looked at her with questioning eyes. "No! Not you! Sorry, but you're just… no. No offense. Anyways, I want you to tell S…"

"You want me to tell him to consider asking you?" She nodded. "Well, I'm sure he'll ask you. Don't worry about it, Donnie." She nodded nervously.

"Are you going you man up and ask Bella? Cause' I really think you should." I shrugged and she rolled her eyes. "Well, I should go wake Emmett up. We're going to the mall with Rose and Jalice."

"Jalice?"

"Alice and Jasper's couple name. It makes it easier. Emmett and Rose are Rosett. Do you want to come?" I shook my head. She smiled at me and walked out the room. I turned my lap top on and went on my E-mail. There was nothing except a bunch of college stuff. I sighed and went to the kitchen. Esme was at a friend's house and Carlisle was working. Which meant I was alone. Wonderful.

I pulled out my phone and searched for Seth's number. I called him and his answering machine picked up. I sighed and began calling a bunch of guys that I played football with. None of them answered. Even Quil and Jared, who always called me, didn't pick up.

Feeling frustrated, I walked over to the piano. It always helped to ease my mind when I played. I played a couple random notes at first. Then, I added a little harmony to what I was already playing. Soon enough, a song began to take the form of a lullaby. And while I was playing it, I was thinking about Bella and her saying "I love you."

Once I played the last string of notes, I heard a knock at the door. I walked over to the front door and opened it. There stood Bella, as beautiful as ever. She looked at me and smiled. Heat began rising up my neck. I usually wasn't the blushing type, but Bella could make me do anything.

"Hi Edward," she said quietly.

"Hi Bella. Do you want to come in?"

She nodded and came inside.

"I'm here to see Donna. I have to give her the CD back. She said she's always here and I thought she would be but I guess not." She looked down at her feet and blushed. I didn't know why she was doing that, but I really didn't care. She looked lovely with pink on her cheeks. I put a finger under her chin and lifted her face so I could see her eyes.

"I like it better this way." She looked at me and smirked, the blush still outlining her cheeks. I smiled and removed my hand from under her chin. "Umm… Bella?"

"Mmmmmhmmmmm?"

"You know how homecoming is this weekend?" She nodded. "Well, do you want to go with me?"

I waited for her to respond, and after ten seconds I lost hope. Someone else probably asked her already. After a couple more seconds, she responded.

"I can't dance." I rolled my eyes ad smiled at her. "But, I guess I'll make and exception. I would love to go to homecoming with you." There it was again. The word love. I smiled even wider at the thought of last night and saw Bella turn even redder.

"Well… what color do you want to wear Bella?"

"Green." I nodded. Very simple. Nothing specific. It made it a lot easier on both of us.

"Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya."

I walked over to her and kissed her warm and welcoming cheek. She wrapped her arms around my shoulder and returned the favor. We hugged for about a minute before she pulled away. I felt the disappointment in my head, but I didn't let it show. I watched her walk out of the house and to her truck.

I didn't do much for the rest of the day except work on the lullaby. Once it was 10:00 p.m., I went up to my room and fell asleep, knowing that I would see Bella the next day.

It was a long morning, but I finally walked into the lunchroom. Bella was sitting at a table by herself, with a book in one hand, an apple in the other. I walked over to her and sat next to her, waiting for her to notice. I suddenly felt guilty. Just last week I barely acknowledged her, and now I was completely in love with her. Donna came over with Emmett and sat by Bella. Bella looked up and smiled but that quickly turned into a frown when she saw Alice was sitting with Jasper and Rosalie at a different table. She went back to reading her book.

I didn't realize that I was staring at her until Emmett threw an orange at me head. I looked up to find him grinning and Donna holding back laughter.

"So Eddie," Donna said in a shushed voice, "did you ask her to homecoming?" I grinned like an idiot and nodded. She smiled and high fived me. Emmett kept looking over at Rosalie, who was ignoring him. He sighed.

"Why didn't she just sit over here? Rosalie never has a problem sitting over there when I'm with her."

Donna rolled her eyes at Emmett. "Em, I'm going to say this flat out. Rosalie doesn't like Bella and is mad because you're sitting by me and not her."

He looked over to Rosalie and laughed. "She's jealous? No way, not my Rose!"

"Well, you better believe it." Emmett frowned and nodded. The bell rang and I looked over to Bella, who was trying to get up without falling. I took both of her hands and lifted her off the chair. She stuck her tongue out and stood next to me.

"You have biology with me right?" She nodded and we walked to class. Students weren't sitting in their normal spots, and some were pouting and sighing while others were giggling and grinning. New seating chart.

I looked at the chart for my name and felt Bella next to me trying to find her seat on the chart. I finally found my name, and next to me was none other than Bella Swan. Trying to contain my happiness, I walked quickly to my seat and began reading my English novel. Bella sat down next to me with a flushed face.

"So…," I said.

"We're partners?" I nodded. "Well, that's good. My old partner used to cheat off me." I laughed.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore." She giggled and nodded.

"And I get to have a great view." I was taken aback by her comment. Did she mean it? I looked at her and she winked at me. She was making it very hard for me to concentrate. I knew that this class would take very long if she kept saying things like that. Homecoming couldn't come soon enough. All I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and dance with her. But of course, I had to wait till Saturday.

Unfair.

**A.N. Okay, so there isn't any singing in this chapter. Hope that's alright. Anyways, do you want to guess who Donna likes? I'll give you a hint. His name was mentioned in this chapter. Anyone who guesses correctly will get a dedication in the next chapter. Put your guess in a review. OMG I finally saw 27 Dresses and I love it. James Marsden is absolutely gorgeous in it. Swoon! Please review if you feel like it. **


	7. We Are the Champions

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

BPOV

I stood at the gate, waiting to get into the game. My first football game ever. I didn't want to go, but Alice wanted to go to the game and she was still ignoring me, despite the torture she put me through in the morning.

_*Flashback*_

_I walked into the parking lot and began looking for Donna. We had become really good friends that week. It took a while for me to find her since she was so small, but I found her leaning against Emmett's jeep. Half of the football team was at the jeep, talking about how big the game was going to be and how they were going to win. They were sounding more cocky then confident. When Donna saw me, she ran to me and crushed me into a hug._

"_Okay, Bella. I must warn you that Alice is going to be very mad at me because I didn't get you ready so you better be prepared for torture. I'm so sorry." I looked down at what Donna was wearing. She was wearing our school colors, black and red. She had on Seth's jersey, which went down to her knees. She had on some red Capri under it and she had red and black striped knee high socks. Her shoes were black and red converses. Her hair was tied in pigtails in black and red ribbons. And her makeup was, you guessed it, black and red. I knew right away what I was in for. _

_Alice came up to me and yanked on my shirt, "C'mon Bella lets go. I have to get you ready since someone didn't." She glared at Donna before taking me to the bathroom. I saw Rosalie in the bathroom with Edward's jersey in one hand and some black Capri in the other."Change into this," Alice demanded. I went into the stall and dressed myself. I came out, looking just like Rosalie, Alice, and Donna. God help me. _

_Alice attacked my hair while Rosalie did my make up just like hers. I took time to look at Alice and Rosalie's hair. Rosalie had her hair in a high ponytail with a red and black ribbon. Alice had her hair down with a clip holding her bangs back. As I looked in the mirror, I saw that my hair was in low side ponytail. Then I looked at my face. Well, it was supposed to be my face, but I barely recognized it. Either they did a really good job or did Devil's work._

_Once they were done, I walked out of the bathroom as the bell began ringing. Donna came up to me with sympathetic eyes and mouthed sorry. Alice didn't even say twenty words to me. She wasn't talking to me, but she thought she had the right to torture me. The again, why did I let her? _

_*Flashback over*_

I walked into the stands with Donna and some girl who went to LaPush. LaPush had their sports program cancelled and so they could continue playing sports, they played sports with Forks High. It made our teams a lot stronger since almost every person from LaPush was extremely athletic. I saw Rosalie waving at me and Donna, telling us to go over by her. Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Seth were standing by the locker room door, and Alice was holding a camera.

"Donna, go stand by Seth and Bella go stand by Edward." Donna sprinted to Seth and tackled him. They were laughing their heads off till Alice snapped a picture and glared at Donna for getting dirty. They stood up and began posing as Alice wanted them to. Donna put on Seth's helmet and put her head against his. For the last picture, Seth held her bridal style and kissed her forehead. Then he put her down and kissed her cheek before running into the locker room. Donna looked purely happy and was grinning like an idiot. Of course, she didn't care.

Alice shifted the camera over to Emmett and Rosalie. They kissed and hugged. Rosalie didn't put on Emmett's helmet for fear of messing her hair up, but he did hold her and fling her over his shoulder. Once they were done, the camera shifted over to Edward and I. He put an arm around my waist and grinned at me. I couldn't help but to smile back and blush. _Snap. _He kissed me on the cheek. _Snap. _He put both his arms around my waist as I looked into his eyes. _Snap. _After many more poses, including the helmet one and him flinging me over his shoulder, Alice gave the camera to Donna as she began taking pictures of Jasper and Alice.

I had never seen Alice as happy as she was with Jasper. They took many pictures, and I was surprised when she put on his helmet. Once they were done with their pictures, I went back up to the stands with Donna. The Forks Spartans ran onto the field and the game began.

*one hour later*

I think it was pretty safe to say that we weren't going to win the game. My boredom was rapidly increasing, and I had to get out of the crowd. Donna was babbling about how she should have been a receiver on the football team because the other guys sucked. Like I knew what a receiver was. After a while, I just couldn't take staying there anymore. I walked out of the large crowd of students, and felt a small hand grab my arm. I looked back to see Alice. We walked to her Porsche in silence. As I stepped into the passenger side, I noticed she had a sad look on her face.

"Alice," I said quietly, "What's wrong?"

"What happened to us, Bella? You chose Donna over me to help you get ready for a date. Why?"

I sighed. "Her intentions were less torturous than yours. And you seemed too busy with Jasper."

She giggled and blushed. "Bella, you have a sick mind." I looked at her confused. Then I realized what I just said and laughed.

"Wow that came out completely wrong. But you know what I mean." She nodded and got serious again. "Alice, I'm sorry I was rude at the movies."

She looked over at me and smiled. "I'm sorry for ignoring you. I was just really mad. You know?" I smiled and nodded at her. We were quiet for the rest of the ride. She held my hand and kissed my cheek through the entire ride, telling me how glad she was that we were together again, making us sound like a couple. She liked talking, but she showed most of her love through her actions. "I feel like we're an old married couple who can't be apart from each other for more than a day." I laughed as how she compared our relationship."

"Well," I said, "I guess Jasper will be disappointed."

"No he won't mind too much. He knows you're the first love of my life. He doesn't mind being the one on the side."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I am! Let's go to Vegas, baby!"

"Alice, I know you probably won't like this, but I feel like we're more like sisters."

I waited for her to say something like "Awwwww, I wanted to get lucky tonight," or "Well, now I have to deal with Jasper full time." But she just looked t me with a meaningful look and mouthed "Thank you" as a tear went down her cheek.

"Bella, I missed you so much."

"Me too, Alice. Me too."

We pulled up to one of my favorite places in the world. As we walked into the entrance, I heard the voice of a man singing a really corny song to his girlfriend. Of course, I would love that if a certain someone would do that for me, so I shouldn't talk. Alice and I sat down at a table and sat there and listened, waiting till everyone showed up to sing with us.

-

As one woman was finishing up her song, I heard a booming voice yell, "We want Bella!" Emmett.

I turned my focus to the people coming in. I saw Emmett and Rosalie first, holding hands and smirking. It was such an aww moment. Then Seth came in carrying Donna on his back. Donna was laughing and Seth was smiling. Then the face that I was most anxious to see came in. Edward's eyes seemed a bit upset, but they brightened up quickly as he looked in my direction. I walked over to him as Jasper came in and Alice ran up to him and jumped into his arms. Literally, since he was almost two feet taller than her. Edward chuckled and walked towards me.

Edward held his arms out, and I filled them with mine. "We lost," he whispered. Then he pulled back and looked at me. He smiled and took my hand. I wasn't too surprised that we lost. But I knew it was depressing for a lot of people since this was our homecoming. I just leaned closer to Edward as we sat down at the table.

Donna was already on stage, with a microphone in her hand. I somehow, unbelievably, guessed she was going to sing a rock song.

"I'm singing Bring Me to Life by Evanescence." Wow, I got it right!

How can you see into my eyes like open doors  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul  
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead  
It back home

(wake me up)  
Wake me up inside  
(I Can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside  
(Save me)  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
(Wake me up)  
Bid my blood to run  
(I Can't wake up)  
Before I come undone  
(Save me)  
Save me from the nothing I've become

I didn't know who was doing the guy part, but he sounded just like the real person. When Donna finished the song, she was breathless as she jumped off the stage onto Seth's back. He spun her around and put her on the ground. Before I could even consider going on the stage to sing, Alice took me by the shirt and told me that we had to look at my dress. I followed her out just as Emmett began singing We Are the Champions by Queen. How depressing. I couldn't even stay to listen to it.

-

The dress was gorgeous. It looked amazing on me and since Alice knew my size due to the thousands of clothes she bought me over the years, we didn't have to re size it. Then, when she got into hair and makeup, I ignored her. I wanted it to be a surprise.

When everyone walked in, I heard Donna talking about lifting weights and doing a pull up contest against Edward. Once they all got in, I saw what they were wearing. Rosalie was wearing an aerobic outfit, while Donna was wearing baggy athletic shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt. The guys were wearing the same thing as Donna, and it was then that I realized what they were doing.

"Why?" I was in agony as I looked at everyone in the room. "Why would you put me through this?"

"Well, it's more for the guys, Bella. To help them get forget about losing. Get dressed."

Donna threw some clothes at me. I hated gym class, and now they had to bring it here. I was about to protest, but then I saw Edward with a ridiculously gorgeous grin on his face. He was actually looking forward to this.

I sighed. "Fine. Let's work out."

**A.N. So, was it okay? I apologize for taking so long. I've been busy. I could give you a long, kind of pathetic list of excuses, but you probably don't want to hear about that. I have a request for you guys. I'm thinking about making a kind of origin story about Donna. Where she used to live, what she was like before she met Emmett, that sort of stuff. If you think I should do that, please P.M. me. If not, then tell me in a review. Now I should begin dedications to the people who guessed correctly. I guess I made it sort of easy, but oh well. **

**This chapter is dedicated to the following people:** _EdwardBrandon4lifee__, __nickiegirl123__, __cantarbailar__, __MilesOfSmiles13__, __Viper003__, __MC Foofoo__, __jazmin-mc_


	8. Don't Trust Me

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

I tied up my tennis shoes and walked down the stairs to the basement. The Cullen basement was more like a gym/mini-theater/arcade. They were insanely rich and loved to spoil Alice, Emmett, and Edward. I was jealous when I first met Alice. She had so much crap and my dad was barely able to buy me new school clothes. But when she told me her home was my home, I took full advantage of her hospitality. She didn't mind, but after a while I felt guilty. Now I always help around the house to ease the guilt.

Anyway, I walked down into the basement to see everyone stretching. They were really getting into a workout mood. I was less than thrilled to be joining them, but I sucked it up and went along with it. Edward walked over to me and took my hand. Let the blushing begin.

"So," Edward said "you ready?"

"No," I answered honestly.

"Well, don't worry, Bella. I'll be here to help you." He smiled at me and I almost passed out.

"Look," Emmett yelled, "Bella hasn't even stretched yet and she's already red and sweating." Everyone else in the room began snickering except Rosalie.

"Emmett, shut up," she said loud. Now I was starting to like her. "Just because she has no control whatsoever on her body doesn't give _you_ the right to laugh at her. You barely have control either. Anyone else can crack jokes, but you're not allowed to." Wow, how thoughtful of her. Emmett can't make fun of me, but everyone else can humiliate me all they want. Way to go, Rosalie.

As I began stretching, a song came on and Donna began singing it.

_Black dress, with the tights underneath.  
I've got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth.  
And she's an actress, actress, but she ain't got no need.  
She's got money from her parents in a trust fund back east.  
_

Emmett then joined in and started lip singing the words as Donna began dancing around. I watched with fascination as Donna danced around Alice, shaking her hips in Alice's face. _  
_

_T-t-t-tongues, always pressed to your cheeks.  
While my tongue is on the inside of some other girl's teeth.  
T-tell your boyfriend, if he says he's got beef,  
That I'm a vegetarian, and I ain't f***ing scared of him._

Alice joined in yelling the refrain and Seth began dancing around with Donna. I looked over to Edward, who wasn't even trying to contain his laughter.__

She wants to touch me whao-oh.  
She wants to love me whao-oh.  
She'll never leave me whao-oh, whao-oh, oh, oh.  
Don't trust a ho.  
Never trust a ho.  
Won't trust a ho.  
'Cause a ho won't trust me.

She wants to touch me whao-oh.  
She wants to love me whao-oh.  
She'll never leave me whao-oh, whao-oh, oh, oh.  
Don't trust a ho.  
Never trust a ho.  
Won't trust a ho.  
'Cause a ho won't trust me.

X's on the back of your hands,  
Wash them in the bathroom to drink like the bands,  
And the set list, you stole off the stage,  
Had red and purple lipstick all over the page.

B-b-b-bruises, cover your arms.  
Shaking in the fingers with the bottle in your palm.  
And the best is, no one knows who you are,  
Just another girl alone at the bar.

She wants to touch me whao-oh.  
She wants to love me whao-oh.  
She'll never leave me whao-oh, whao-oh, oh, oh.  
Don't trust a ho.  
Never trust a ho.  
Won't trust a ho.  
'Cause a hoe won't trust me.

She wants to touch me whao-oh.  
She wants to love me whao-oh.  
She'll never leave me whao-oh, whao-oh, oh, oh.  
Don't trust a ho.  
Never trust a ho.  
Won't trust a ho.  
'Cause a ho won't trust me.

Emmett went over to Rosalie and began saying the next lines to her. As he said it, he was shaking his hips and winking at Rosalie, who was rolling her eyes.

_Shush girl, shut your lips,  
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips.  
_

Donna joined in on the next two lines, yelling it at the top of her lungs.

_I said shush girl, shut your lips.  
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips.  
_

Then Seth joined in, trying to yell louder than Donna. Not succeeding.

_I said shush girl, shut your lips.  
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips._

She wants to touch me whao-oh.  
She wants to love me whao-oh.  
She'll never leave me whao-oh, whao-oh, oh, oh.  
Don't trust a ho.  
Never trust a ho.  
Won't trust a ho.  
'Cause a ho won't trust me.

She wants to touch me whao-oh.  
She wants to love me whao-oh.  
She'll never leave me whao-oh, whao-oh, oh, oh.  
Don't trust a ho.  
Never trust a ho.  
Won't trust a ho.  
'Cause a hoe won't trust me.

By the end of the song, everyone who was dancing around was panting. I stared at them in amusement as Donna walked over to me and planted a kiss on my lips. It was just a peck, but I was shocked. Donna laughed as I blushed.

"Bella, I love you girl. Will you marry me?" Donna went to her knees and held out a velvet box.

"Umm…ask Rosalie." I looked at Edward, who looked like he was on the brink of tears he was laughing so hard.

"I already did. Rose said no." She feigned hurt and wiped away an invisible tear.

"Then ask Alice."

"Okay." Donna walked over to Alice and took her hand. "Mary Alice Brandon, I have loved you since I first saw your height, since I first saw heard you yell. I will love you forever. Will you marry me?"

"Oh Donna," Alice said with happiness, "of course! Sorry Bella. I'll have to elope with Donna."

"Well," I said, "if Donna would have asked me that way, we would be on our way to Vegas by now."

"So," Donna said, "there's still hope?" I nodded and she jumped for joy.

"Ahem," Alice said, "what about me?"

"I'll have to elope and go with Bella. No hard feelings?"

"As long as I get to pick the dresses."

"Deal."

Everyone else in the room was on the ground laughing. Donna took my hand and whispered in my ear, "Let's go up to my room, baby." I blushed and giggled. She kissed my cheek and pulled me up the stairs. As we were walking, I heard Emmett say, "Is Donna on drugs or something? This is starting to be like a lesbian bar! Use protection, kids."Donna kept pulling me upstairs and I heard footsteps behind us. Alice grabbed my other hand and they practically dragged me to Alice's room.

"Okay," I said, confused. I thought we were going to say 'Ha ha, joke's over, now let's go back down to work out', but no.

"Bella," Alice said quietly, checking that no one else followed. "Donna and I wanted to tell you something." I looked at them, waiting for them to speak up. Alice continued. "Well, you know how Edward went out with Donna's sister?" I nodded. So? "Well, she's coming back in town tomorrow. We just wanted to warn you that you should watch out for her. She can be a very nice girl, but she always has a trick up her sleeve. Don't let her steal Edward away from you."

Tanya. I looked at Donna who had a sad look on her face. "Donna, what's wrong?"

"I just… I might have to move back with my mom in Alaska. My mom never really treated me well, and neither did my sisters. Tanya's not that bad, but she was never the best…role model. I don't want to go back to Alaska while Tanya stays here with all of you guys."

Tears were rolling down Donna's cheek, and it was the first time I ever saw her cry. It was one the most painful things I had ever seen. Donna's face was always so bright and happy. Sadness didn't fit onto her face. Her face was like sunshine in Forks, which was very hard to find. I hugged her and stroked her hair. She sniffled a little bit before taking her face out of my shoulder.

"Does anyone else know?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. Everyone else found out, but I didn't want to spoil your happiness by telling you right away. I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

After a couple minutes of comforting Donna and wiping her face, Emmett burst through the door.

'Emmett," Alice groaned, "ever try knocking? It's this thing where you put your knuckles against the door and it makes a noise that warns a person you're at the door." Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Are you guys coming back down?" I was about to get up, but Alice held me back.

"No. Sorry, but we just need some girl time. Rosalie is more than welcome to come up."

"Actually," Donna said, "I'm feeling really tired. I'll go to bed."

"I'll come with you," I said, wanting to be there to comfort Donna. We went to the guest room and she began undressing. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked in the bathroom.

After ten minutes, Donna came out with a pair of Jack Skellington short-shorts and a tank top on. As we crawled into the bed together, I remembered something.

"Donna," I said, "what was in the velvet box?"

She yawned and said, "A cookie." Then I began to drift off into sleep.

**A.N. Sorry it wasn't that long. I know I made it all dramatic, but there has to be some drama crap going on right? IDK, but anyway…I also apologize for not making a huge workout session. The next chapter is going to be the morning before homecoming. After that, it will finally be the dance. That should be fun to write. If you have any ideas of what kind of stuff I could put into the dance, tell me. Also, I am a bit sad that only one person had any comments on the Donna origin story I'm thinking about making. If you think it's a good idea, please tell me. If not, tell me. Thank you. ****3**


	9. Claire de Lune

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

I woke up to Donna's phone ringing. There was shrieking, then a long guitar intro. Then the singing came on.

_Caught up in this madness too blind to see  
Woke animal feelings in me  
Took over my sense and I lost control  
I'll taste your blood tonight_

Donna finally woke up with a groan as she grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" Donna talked in a groggy, why-the-hell-would-you-call-me-at-this-time-in-the-freaking-morning voice. There was a pause then she replied "Screw off, Irina. How are you up so early? Were you out partying all night, getting STD's from all the guys you slept with?" Another pause. "Well you can tell _Laurent _that I don't give a crap if I'm nice to you or not. You're a little bitch." She waited. "Well then, I hope you didn't give him herpes."I waited for her to hang up. It was about a minute, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "I hate you. Just shut up. I never want to see you or mom again. I meant it when I said that you and she could burn in hell." Donna hung up the phone and looked at me with sad eyes. I hugged her and asked what happened.

"Well," she said, "Irina, my…mother's child was telling me about how she couldn't wait to have me back so she can make my life a living hell. And how I'm going to love meeting her new official screw boy, Laurent! Yay for me!" She began sobbing and I realized just how much she didn't want to move back to Alaska. "Bella, I was so unhappy there. I only had three friends. And when I told them I was moving, they deserted me. They told me that they wouldn't miss me since_ I _deserted _them_. I cut myself. I only did for like a month when I first got here, but I was so damaged. Then I met Emmett. I love him so much. He's the best big brother/best friend anyone could have. And I wouldn't be alive without him and everyone else here."

I looked at her for a couple seconds as an eerie feeling washed through me. Donna and I had only been friends for a week, but I couldn't imagine my life without her. If I never saw her glorious, beautiful face smile again, I would probably die of grief. An overwhelming feeling closed around me as I thought about her not existing, and I began sobbing and hugging her even tighter. We sobbed and rubbed circles into each other's backs for a couple minutes before she fell back asleep. I kissed her forehead and lay back down.

-

When I woke up again, I saw Alice's big brown eyes staring at my face. She was grinning a wickedly adorable grin that could only be pulled off by her. I woke up smiling. She had that kind of effect on others.

"Okay, Bella," she began, "today is spa day."

"No it's not," Donna said, sounding happy and alive, "it's homecoming today."

"Fine, spa morning. Now get a robe on and come to my room."

Alice had the most relaxing room in the house. And the largest. It was painted beige with off-white strokes sponged everywhere. I was there when she and Esme painted the room. Before, it was bright pink and purple. Alice had decided she needed a more mature paint job. So when she went looking for paint, she looked for a relaxing color that would soothe her when she needed comforting.

She had a large bed with a canopy and off-white sheets. The sheets were embroidered with brown beads shaped like flowers. I looked over to see Rosalie, sitting on Alice's couch, with a plush white robe on. She had cucumbers on her eyes and green stuff on her face. The sight was too funny, so I had to stifle back my laughs.

"Bella," Alice said, "there's some fruit on my end table. Now go take the bath I set up for you and wear the robe I bought." I looked over and saw a thick dark brown robe on the bed. I took it with me and went into the bathroom.

I gasped once I stepped in. There were vanilla scented candles all around the bath tub and white rose petals skimmed across the water. It was steaming in the bathroom, and once I stepped into the tub, I instantly relaxed.

"Alice," I yelled, "are you trying to seduce me? 'Cause if you are, it's working." I sat back in the tub and let the jets massage me. Ten minutes later, Donna told me to get out. I groaned and got out reluctantly. Once I stepped out, Alice told me to lie on her bed. I laid there and waited.

A couple seconds later, I felt small warm hands on my back. The liquid that was on my back smelled like mocha, and I sighed in pleasure. I looked back to see Donna massaging me. She massaged me like I was a work of art. "Donna," I moaned, "where have you been all my life?"

"Hiding from crazy people who are obsessed with my magical hands," she replied, laughing. I heard a song come on and instantly recognized it. Claire de Lune played softly in the background, and I felt all the tension leave my shoulders. I began humming the tune and almost fell asleep until Donna's hands left my back and shoulders. I sighed, but she shook her head and said "I'm going to massage your head and feet to. Jeez." I followed Donna over to the couch with a huge smile planted on my face. This was what I called a spa treatment.

After Donna finished massaging my feet, legs, neck, and head I felt as if I had never had a care in the world. As she began massaging Alice, Emmett walked in.

"Whoa, what's going on in here?" Emmett was grinning and shaking his head. "Is Donna trying to seduce you Alice?"

"No," I replied. "Emmett, join us. Let Donna lift your worries away. You'll never be the same." He shrugged and walked over to the couch.

As soon as Donna began rubbing Emmett's shoulders, Emmett's eyes closed. Jasper walked in and he asked the same thing as Emmett. "Jasper," I said quietly, "just see for yourself." He sat next to Emmett as Donna worked on his shoulders. His shoulders began to slouch and he sighed into contentment.

When Edward came in, the same thing happened to him as it did to Emmett and Jasper. When Donna worked on Edward's shoulders, he closed his eyes sighed a lot. I looked over to Alice, who was putting the green stuff on Emmett's face. Then I looked at Rosalie, who was eating fruit and talking to Jasper. I looked at them and noticed the family resemblance. I hadn't noticed till then that her eyes were almost the same color as Jasper's. They both had longer legs and were very tall. Jasper's hair was more of a honey blonde color, while Rosalie's was more bleach blonde. Still, I wondered if they were brother and sister instead of cousins.

When Donna was done massaging Edward, he walked over to me with his crooked smile. I smiled back and blushed. He sat down by me on Alice's couch and slung his arm around my shoulder. We had a silent conversation with our eyes. I thought it was only possible for girls could do that, but Edward's eyes showed a lot of emotion, more than I was capable of. I giggled as he wiggled his eyebrows. **(A.N. Haha, that rhymes.) **Then I laid my head ion his shoulders. He smiled down at me and kissed my forehead. So many emotions went through me. The strongest one being anxiousness. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to want me. Most of all, I wanted… no _needed_ him to love me back. I was sure that he liked me, but I knew it could never be enough. He had to love me or there would be no point. I couldn't let anyone steal him. I had to make tonight special. I had to make him ask me out. I had to ask for advice. And there was only one person I could count on to not make a big deal.

I breathed in and out before brining my head up and called her name. "Rosalie," I said oh so quietly, "may I speak to you privately?" She gave me a confused look before shrugging and walking out into the hallway. We walked down to the guest room and she shut the door and looked at me expectantly.

"Okay," I breathed, "I know you don't really like me, but I really need your help. Savvy?" She shrugged and nodded. "Well, I couldn't count on anyone else not to make a big deal about it, so I'm asking you for advice. Rosalie, will you please help me make Edward Cullen fall in love with me?"

**(A.N. So tempted to end there, but I can't seem to stop typing. So, I'll continue.)**

She looked at me with wide, shocked eyes, before nodding and smirking.

"Okay, Bella. Flirting 101. So, one thing you have to do is do a lot of touching. Hold his hand, stroke his hair, brush up and down his arm, stuff like that. Guys always like it better when there is some sort of physical contact.

"Next thing you should do is let him spoil you. Edward has extravagant plans for tonight, I'm guessing. Nice car, beautiful flowers, blah blah blah, all that jazz. Don't complain. Girls are only allowed to complain if they are going out with the guy.

"And last but not least, talk to him. Kind of lead him on to how you feel. He's smart and will hopefully take a hint. Emmett is pretty smart, but he's also very clueless. It took him a month to figure out that I was flirting. **(A.N. This reminds me of Hairspray. I love that movie.)**

"Now Bella, do you think you can do all those things?" I nodded and grinned.

"Thank you so much, Rosalie. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Well, everyone deserves to find love. Good luck."

She walked out the room and I stood there for a couple of seconds before going back to Alice's room. When Edward saw me, he spread his arms out and I was more than happy to walk over to him and sit on his lap. He enclosed me in a giant hug and began playing with my hair. I was absolutely certain that he could love me. It might not happen tonight, but I was hoping that maybe one day, he would say those words to me and really mean them.

For the rest of the afternoon, Edward and I were trapped in our own private conversation. Everyone else didn't exist. The world revolved around him and me. And I loved it.

**A.N. So, good or bad? I decided to update right away because of all the reviews. Thank you to the people who gave an opinion on the Donna origin story. I have a poll up now and would like everyone to vote on it. Please vote on my poll. Not like I'm trying to nag you or anything… Anyhow… Does anyone want to guess what the first song was? If you guess what song it is, who it's by, and what album it's in then I will dedicate my next chapter to you. Thank you. **


	10. Tearin' Up My Heart

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

I stood outside of Alice's room, waiting for her to get out so we could go to our dates. To my enjoyment, Donna did my hair and makeup. But Donna also had to pay the price for that. Alice put twice as much detail into Donna's makeup as she would for just mine. I looked over at Rosalie's dress. It was light blue and strapless. Her hair was up in a high bun and some strands hung loose. She looked beautiful. No surprise there. Donna had on a short knee length black dress with a red waistband. Her hair was in a half ponytail with her bangs hanging out. I looked at my dress. It was emerald green and floor length. My hair was curled and put in a half ponytail. I, luckily, didn't have to wear high heels. I was put in emerald green flats instead.

As Alice walked out, Donna's jaw dropped. Alice was wearing a strapless, knee length, sparkly, flowing yellow dress. She had on silver heels and her hair was in a yellow headband. Her makeup made her look like she was sunshine, which she was. Alice smiled and walked to the stairs.

Donna whistled. "Well, "Donna said, "forget Seth. Alice, you're my date now." Alice rolled her eyes and smiled even wider.

"Okay, girls, "Alice said, "let's make our big entrances. I'll go first."

"Alice," Donna groaned, "that's stupid. Let's just walk down the damn stairs. Jeez."

"No," Alice snapped back, "haven't you ever watched any movies? It _has _to happen like this. There's no other way."

"Fine, let's go." Donna ran to the stairs and began shoving Alice out of the way. Alice, looking extremely pissed, ran down the stairs and shoved Donna out of the way. I watched with amusement as they began tripping. Donna jumped onto the railing and began sliding down as Alice ran down the stairs. How she could do that in heels was beyond me.

Once Donna reached the bottom, Seth, with perfect timing, caught Donna as she slid of the railing. Alice was out of breath as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She growled at Donna before putting the smile back on her face and walking over to Jasper. Rosalie and I began walking down the stairs. I gripped onto the rail so I wouldn't make a fool of myself. I walked into the front hallway and was greeted by Edward's hand. I smiled at his delicate hands and embraced him. Rosalie was already wrapped into Emmett's giant embrace, and she was giggling and beaming up at him. Wait, Rosalie giggle? I had never even heard her laugh before, and now she was giggling? Weird, huh?

"So…" Edward said casually, "shall we go?" I nodded and walked out the door with him, hand in hand. We walked over to his Volvo and he opened my door for me. As I ducked into the car, he whispered in my ear, "And by the way, love. You look radiant." I blushed as my heart sped up. He said the words love and you in the same quote. All that was needed was the "I", and then I would be forever content. Well, minus all of those other useless words.

"Jasper," I heard Alice yell, "We will NOT be taking your car. The Porsche matches my dress and your tie. Therefore, we will be the perfect couple."

"We already are, Alice," he muttered as he walked to the passenger side of the Porsche and opened the door for Alice. His comment was followed by a string of awwws and Alice jumping on him as she kissed him. He staggered back for a second before holding her up and closing his eyes. More awwws followed soon after, and Alice pulled back and jumped off. Jasper chuckled and took her hand. Edward drove off chuckling.

"That was the sweetest thing ever," I said quietly. "I hope that one day someone will say that to me." Someone like you perhaps, I thought to myself. Instead of chuckling or getting embarrassed about it, he stared at me with intensity. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't breathe.

"Well, I hope you get your wish very soon, Bella." He looked back at the road with a smirk on his face and I began to breathe again. I hoped my wish would come true this very night, or this very minute. I wanted, no needed him to say those words. Jasper was sweet, but I bet Edward could be much more poetic and dreamy. But that was probably just me. We drove the rest of the way in silence, but not without him holding my hand.

-

When we walked into the school gym, it was crowded with students from Forks and LaPush. Lovely. I looked around for anyone that was familiar until Edward took my hand and brought me to the dance floor. One thought ran through my mind and I held his hand and walked to the crowded dance floor.

_Shit._

He probably knew I couldn't dance since I clearly couldn't walk straight. Edward, reading my face, saw my worry and kissed me on the forehead as he led me towards Emmett and all the people around him. "EDWARD," Emmett yelled, "TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGHTO GET OUT HERE! COME ON BELLA! SHOW EDWARD HOW YOU CAN MOVE!" I blushed and looked up to see Edward looking down at me with a wink before grabbing my hand and twirling me.

Dancing with Edward was effortless. It was mostly because he did all the work, but also because it felt so right. I didn't want to be anywhere else except in that place with him. This was a moment of perfection. No one could disturb it, or so I thought.

"Okay, everybody," the DJ said through the microphone. I groaned at the moment he ruined. "We have a song that has been dedicated to a very special girl. Donna Denali, where are you?" I heard Donna squeal, and then I felt two small hands push me out of the way. Donna emerged from the crowd and was literally bouncing with excitement. The music came on, and it was soft at first, but I recognized the voice almost immediately.

_Yeah, you've been alone  
I've been gone for far too long  
But with all that we've been through  
After all this time I'm coming home to you_

Never let it show  
The pain I've grown to know  
'Cause with all these things we do  
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you

I reach towards the sky I've said my goodbyes  
My heart's always with you now  
I won't question why so many have died  
My prayers have made it through yeah  
'Cause with all these things we do  
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you

At this part of the song, the loud music and hardcore singing came on. Donna was so excited and was yelling, "THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS!" And she was also head banging like there was no tomorrow.

_Letters keep me warm  
Helped me through the storm  
But with all that we've been through  
After all this time I'm coming home to you_

I reach towards the sky I've said my goodbyes  
My heart's always with you now  
I won't question why so many have died  
My prayers have made it through yeah  
'Cause with all these things we do  
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you

Seth came out and grabbed Donna in his arms as he sang the next part of the song to her.

_I've always been true  
I've waited so long just to come hold you  
I'm making it through  
It's been far too long, we've proven our  
love over time's so strong, in all that we do  
The stars in the night, they lend me their light  
to bring me closer to heaven with you_

(Bring me closer)

Donna was beaming up at Seth as she began singing the last chorus of the song.

_But with all that we've been through  
After all this time I'm coming home to you_

I reach towards the sky I've said my goodbyes  
My heart's always with you now  
I won't question why so many have died  
My prayers have made it through yeah  
'Cause with all these things we do  
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you

And with all that we've been through  
After all this time I'm coming home to you

Once the song was done, Donna was yelling, "GO AVENEGED SEVENFOLD!" Well, it didn't surprise me that she would do something like when it was almost completely silent. Emmett yelled "WOOHOO! AMEN TO THAT!"

"Okay," the DJ said enthusiastically, "we now have some fellow football players who would like to brighten the mood despite how they lost yesterday." Emmett and four other guys from the football team were on stage. I knew this was going to be hilarious, so I braced myself and thanked God that I went pee before coming here. The guys on stage started singing and dancing as girls were squealing.

_It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you  
And when we are apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain  
With or without you_

_Baby, I don't understand  
Just why we can't be lovers  
Things are getting out of hand  
Tryin' to much, but baby we can win  
Let it go, if you want me girl let me know  
I am down, on my knees  
I can't take it anymore_

_It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you  
And when we are apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain  
With or without you_

_hooooooh, all right_

Baby don't misunderstand,  
(don't misunderstand)  
What I'm trying to tell ya  
In the corner of my mind, (corner of my mind)  
Baby it feels like we're running out of time  
Let it go (go) if you want me girl let me know  
I am down on my knees, I can't take it anymore ohhhhh..

_It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you  
And when we are apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain  
With or without you_

_Tearin' up my heart and soul, when we're apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I'll feel the pain with or without you_

Tearin' up my heart and soul when we're apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I'll feel the pain with or without you

_It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you  
And when we are apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain  
With or without you_

_It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you  
And when we are apart I feel it too  
And no matter what I do I feel the pain  
With or without you_

Throughout the song, the boys were trying to imitate the boys from N*SYNC with their dance moves. By the time they finished, everyone was smiling and giggling. Emmett jumped off the stage with a satisfied look on his face.

The DJ put more music on and it turned out to be a slow song. Couples began getting together and embracing each other. I looked over to Edward, who was making his way over to me. His arms wrapped around my waist gently as I put my wrists around his neck.

I was extremely nervous, considering the fact that:

He was Edward Masen.

He was giving me the most passionate look that I had ever seen. And

I couldn't dance to save my life.

All the confidence that I had built up earlier seeped out as I looked down at my feet. Edward lifted my chin up and stroked my cheek a bit before putting his arm back around my waist.

_Have I found you?  
Flightless bird  
Jealous, weeping  
Or lost you?  
American mouth  
Big pill looming_

It seemed that every step we took, his face was becoming closer to mine. My confidence level was slowly rising as he looked at me. He kissed my forehead to prove that I had no reason to be nervous. The song seemed to go painfully slow as he bent down. When he was only an inch away from my lips, I heard nothing. I wasn't aware of where I was. There was only one thing I was aware of. Edward. His lips came to mine gently as I closed my eyes. My hands wove their way into his hair as I deepened the kiss just a bit. His arms tightened around me as they pulled me closer to him. This moment was magic. Beautiful. Nothing could compare to the emotions that ran through my mind.

Love, love, love, love. That's the only way I could describe the feeling. I knew that I loved him before, but now I was completely head over heels one billion percent positive that I was. And I also became sure that he returned some of the feelings, judging by the fact that he hadn't pulled back.

Once the song finished, Edward put his arm around my shoulders and escorted me out to the parking lot. "I have a place I want to show you," he said quietly as he opened the passenger door for me. I smiled at him as he got into the drivers seat. I looked back at the school and saw Donna and Seth sitting on the sidewalk, looking at each other. I turned away from their moment and wove my hand into Edward's as he drove off.

-

The meadow was beautiful, even in the dark. He had a flashlight and a blanket for us to wrap up in. we just sat down in the grass and looked into each others eyes. He barely blinked the whole time we were looking at each other. Eventually, he sighed. I looked at him, confused. He just smiled at me and said, "Bella, we should probably leave soon." I groaned and shook my head. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. "What if I told you that we could come here together some other time? Then would you get up?" I shook my head and he sighed again. "I don't want to leave either."

We sat there for a little while longer before he stood up. I groaned as his body heat left mine. He held his hand out and I took it, needing the contact between us. He wrapped me in a hug and looked into my eyes again. I looked back and tried to communicate with him. I was screaming with my eyes 'I LOVE YOU, EDWARD MASEN!' and trying to leak out all of my passion through my embrace. He probably didn't see it though, but he would one day. I would tell him. Edward leaned back down and before putting his lips to mine, asked "Will you be my girlfriend?" I wanted to smack him on the head and say 'DUH!' but that would have ruined the moment. So I quietly said "Yeas," and he beamed down at me. As he was about to close the oh- so- tiny gap, his phone rang. He groaned and kissed my forehead before answering.

"Hello?" he paused. "We're at my special place, why?" He then waited a couple seconds before grinning and saying "Yes. We are." I heard squeals on the other end of the line and I knew it was Alice. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead again. He brought the phone away from his ear to do his crooked smile that dazzled me to no end.

"You have service out her?" I said.

"Yupp. I got the Verizon Network." I burst out laughing and he chuckled. Then he brought the phone back to his ear and listened to what Alice had to say. After about a minute, Edward replied, "Okay, we'll come. Bye."

"Why are we leaving? I don't want to go."

"Neither do I," Edward said in a quiet voice, "but we have to. Donna's sick."

**A.N. So, before anyone jumps to conclusions *cough cough my sister* Donna is not sick in the cancer way. She just feels like crap. You'll see why Edward was called and why people are going to make a big deal of it. It has to deal with her past. Speaking of Donna's past, I have begun the Donna origin story thing a ma bob. It's called Out of Darkness and has been posted. If you're interested in reading it, go right ahead. I would like to dedicate this chapter to the following Avenged Sevenfold fans who guessed the song right. **_EbonyRoss__ and xOzackyvOXjakexO._** Anyway, the song from last chapter was Scream by A7X. So, done with the dance. Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did. **


	11. Stairway to Heaven

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

Edward sped down the road at a speed that would put Alice to shame, and that's saying a lot. Alice was terrifying when she drove. Edward didn't leave much time for me to get terrified since he was driving so fast.

"Why do we have to go back? Donna seemed fine before. And I'm sure everyone else can take care of her." I looked at Edward, who had a sad look in his eyes.

"I'll tell you why later. It's kind of a long story." I nodded as he pulled up to the house.

Edward opened my door for me and grabbed my hand as he led me to the jeep. I saw Emmett opening the back door to the jeep and pulling a weak and pale Donna out. He cradled her in his arms and began jogging to the house.

"Careful," Seth yelled as he hopped out of the jeep. "She's looks like she's ready to blow chunks." He ran a hand through his hair and let out a groan when Emmett didn't slow down.

"Nice way of putting it, Seth," Rosalie muttered quietly. "Besides," she said louder, "Donna's a tough girl. She has good control."

Seth sighed and walked towards the house. Alice came up to me and said, "Hmm… maybe Seth isn't as good of a kisser as he thinks. He made Donna sick. Shame shame."

"Shut up, Alice," Seth called back to her. Edward was talking to Jasper, who had a concerned look plastered on his face. Alice looked at Edward with worried eyes and he just looked back at her and sighed as he began leading me to the house.

I walked in to hear Donna gagging in the bathroom. Then I heard sobbing and Emmett's voice quietly calming her. He walked out with a defeated looking Donna in his arms. She was frail and motionless in his arms with an exception of her light breathing. Esme walked out the kitchen with a wet rag and water.

Esme went right into mother mode. "Emmett, bring her up to her guest room. Alice, get some clothes for her to change into. She'll be spending the night. I called her father already. Bella, will you help me change her?" Esme took complete control of the situation and began to pat Donna's head lightly with the wet cloth.

I followed Emmett and Esme up the stairs and into one of the guest rooms. Emmett set Donna on the bed lightly and left the room. Esme brought out a thermometer and took Donna's temperature.

"One- hundred and four degrees. Poor girl." Esme began undressing Donna and I walked over to the bed and helped Esme change Donna's clothes. Esme brought out some blankets and wrapped them tightly around Donna's body. Seth walked in and kneeled by the bed and took Donna's hand.

"Donna," he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Donna asked in a quiet, croaky voice.

"I don't know. I'm sorry you're sick."

"It's not your fault." He got up and kissed her on the forehead.

"I know. I wish I could make you feel better."

"You just did," she replied. Seth broke out into a grin and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered something in her ear that made her eyes light up and she smirked. He exited the room as soon as Carlisle walked in with Emmett.

"Hello Donna," Carlisle said in a slick and casual voice. "I guess you're not feeling well. From what Emmett told me, you might have stomach flu. Just sleep and you'll feel better." Donna nodded and began closing her eyes. Her eyes sprang open a second later and Emmett rushed to her side. He picked her up and ran to the bathroom. I walked out the door and ran into Edward. I almost crashed into the floor, but his arms wrapped firmly around my waist and he sighed.

"Well, Bella. It seems you can't last an entire night without falling." I giggled as he leaned in a pecked me on the lips. I wasn't satisfied with that. I brought his face down and planted my lips on his. He, of course, had to break it off. When he did, he put his forehead on mine and winked at me.

"Ahem," someone said in an irritated tone, and I looked up to see Rosalie standing with Jasper, both staring at us. While Rosalie had a look of irritation, Jasper had one of amusement. Rosalie walked into the guest room and Jasper followed.

I looked at Edward with bright red cheeks. His gaze was still focused on me and the intensity made me stare back in awe. He brushed my cheek lightly with his lips before grabbing my hand and taking me back into the guest room. I saw Donna back on the bed, saying good-bye to Jasper and Rosalie before they left. Esme and Carlisle followed Jasper and Rosalie out of the room and I looked at Emmett, who was plugging Donna's iPod into a pair of speakers. A soft song began playing and Donna began humming. After the intro was done, the singing came in.

_There's a lady whose sure  
All that glitters is gold  
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.  
When she gets there she knows  
If the stores are all closed  
With a word she can get what she came for.  
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven._

I went to Donna and put my head on her forehead. She was shivering but her head was completely burning. Emmett sat by the bed side and stroke Donna's hair until her breathing became steady. She was fast asleep and Edward walked over to my side.

Edward leaned down and whispered goodnight into Donna's ear. We left the room and went to the living room. We sat on the couch and held onto each other.

"Now, shall I tell you the story," he said quietly. I nodded and he smiled sadly before speaking.

"A few years ago, when Donna still lived in Alaska, she was home alone one night. She was only about eleven years old, so one of her sister's was supposed to be home with her. The sister that night was Irina. Instead of staying with Donna, Irina went off to a party.

"That night, Donna got sick, much like she is now. She was puking and had a fever. She tried to call all of her sisters and her mother. None of them answered their phones. She had no idea what to do. She was frightened and began crying. She called her dad a few hours later.

"Her dad began calming her down by playing a song into the phone. It's one of his favorites and it really comforted Donna so she was able to fall asleep. That night really damaged her. Her mother didn't come home till about three in the morning. Donna woke up when her mom came home and began puking again. Her mom was stupid enough to ask why she was home alone.

"When Donna told her that Irina abandoned her, her mom refused to believe it. That was when Donna started to despise her mom. Donna's dad was furious. He started telling Donna's mother that she wasn't a good parent and that Donna should live down in Forks. Of course, it took a couple years for that to happen.

"And the worst part of this is that Donna is still scarred from that event, but Irina has never felt any guilt. Even Tanya and Donna's other sisters felt remorse that they left Donna alone with Irina that night. So, now, we make up for what happened by always being here for her. She knows that she always is welcomed here."

I had tears falling down my cheeks. It was sad to hear that Donna had a weakness. She seemed so headstrong and independent. But I guess everyone has some sort of weakness. Edward wiped my tears held me closer to him. Of course, I didn't mind.

"We should get you home, Bella." I nodded and left the house with him.

When we got in the car, he turned on some music. Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin began playing. I looked at Edward who was singing. It was amazing how long ago it seemed when I heard him first sing. I laid my head on his shoulder and let his voice confine me. It was a moment of happiness and promises.

The promise I mad was that, no matter what, I would remain a completely loyal friend of Donna for the rest of my life. Whenever she needed me, I would always be there. I knew that I would be friends with her before, but now I swore it. I'd even sign a contract in blood to prove how serious I was when I said anything.

Before that weekend, I had never seen Donna's vulnerable side. Now that I had seen it, I felt protective of her. Like she was my little sister. And I liked having the feeling of being a protector instead of being the one that was being protected. I made my pledge in my head and swore to stay true to it under any circumstances.

I, Isabella Marie Swan, swear that I will always be a loyal, compassionate friend and strong protector for Donna Marie Denali.

**A.N. Good? Bad? Are you glad that you got more of a look into Donna's past? Speaking of that, I have posted another chapter up for Out of Darkness. So, Saturday is Valentine's Day. And as a special treat, I will try to post a nice Bella and Edward chapter. I haven't focused enough on the romance part of the story, so I'll try to work on that. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and the songs. **


	12. When Two Are One

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

I had been going out with Edward Cullen for about a week, and it was so much better than I could have imagined. He didn't feel the need to have a full on PDA make out session like Rosalie and Emmett would have at times. But there was enough physical contact that would drive me insane. Just him holding my hand or stroking my chin gave me goose bumps.

It was Friday afternoon, a week since Forks had lost their homecoming. I know, not exactly the happiest way to remember that day, so I tried to remember that Alice and I made up.

I was walking out of my biology class and towards gym class when I saw Donna walking with me. She had on a lime green skirt with purple skinny jeans underneath. Her shirt was purple and lime green with the name of some random band and she was wearing a matching hat.

"So Bella, guess what?" I looked at her and raised one eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and continued. "I know what Edward has planned for your one week anniversary. I think it's kind of stupid celebrating one freaking week as a couple. In fact, celebrating anniversaries at all if you're not married is beyond me. Why would people want to do that? What if one person doesn't want to make a commitment and…"

"Donna! Get on with it!"

"Right! Anyway…"

Donna didn't get to say much more because the janitor closet door burst open. Smoke cascaded out of the room and seeped into the hallway. A janitor came out with a big smile and a freshman student came out laughing a leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Stefan," Donna said, and the kid turned his head to grin at Donna. "Where is Vladimir? He needs to be here so he can work on our project." Stefan shrugged and began laughing. "Hey, Stefan! See that wall over there?" He nodded and she broke out in a mischievous grin. "It says that it wants to rape and kill your brother."

Stefan broke out in tears and started screaming profanities at the wall. Then he went to the wall and began punching it and kicking it.

"Hey, Stefan," Donna called out, "you just killed the wall. You better get out of town or the cops will get you." Stefan nodded in panic and fled from the school.

"Donna," I said once we continued walking again, "why would you do that to him? That was mean."

"No," she said, "it was hilarious and you know it. Besides, he interrupted me. And he'll forget about it and even if he doesn't he'll laugh it off and we'll go back to being buddies."

"He's your buddy?"

"Yeah. He was the only one who talked to me during middle school. He also tried to grope me numerous times, but I got over it." She shrugged it off and kept walking.

"Has he ever tried to get you to smoke with him before?" She shook her head and continued walking me to gym class. The bell had already ringed, and I had no idea what class she was in.

"Well, Bella, as I was saying Edward has something planned that will cost no money." I sighed in relief once I heard that. "He's taking you on a hike in the wonderfully muddy and ragged forests of Forks!" I gave her a look of horror and she began laughing. "Don't worry, Bella. He'll probably carry you the whole way anyway." That didn't wipe the horror off my face. "Edward_ really _wants you to go wit him. Come on Bella, don't make him go alone." Once she said that, the horror came off my face slowly and I nodded.

"Great," Donna said with spunk and enthusiasm, "so you better be prepared! See you later, Bella! Have fun!" I groaned at the last comment and walked into the locker room.

-

This was a bad idea. Bad, bad, bad, bad, horrible, terrifying idea. And I couldn't bring myself to regret it even as I was only ten feet into the forest and tripped twice. Why I couldn't regret it was because of the person's hand that was holding mine. Edward practically had to lift me over every little rock and root on the ground.

We had only been in the forest for about fifteen minutes, and I had already tripped over about everything in site. I thought about what happened only twenty minutes.

_*Flashback*_

_Emmett sat me down next to him on the sofa and I couldn't help but to become impatient. I was missing some wanted… no needed Edward time for Emmett. I love Emmett, but he was pissing me off._

"_Emmett! What the hell do you want!?" _

"_Okay, Bella. I know you're anxious to go on this date, but I need to tell you some things first." His tone was serious and his eyes matched his tone of voice. "I just want to warn you that the word date is only two different letters of the word rape."_

"_EMMETT! SHUT THE HELL UP!" _

"_I know we don't have time for the talk right now, but we will soon. Until then, carry pepper spray with you at all times. And if you do decide to do something sexual with Edward, be safe! Safe only has two different letters away from date also, so think about that."_

"_Okay Emmett," I said, "I'm leaving now, and I want you to never say those words to me again. Or I'll make sure to kick you so hard that those words will be knocked out of your vocabulary." That was when he began laughing. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger as I walked out of the door. _

_Emmett was an idiot._

_*Flashback over*_

I gave up on hiking. I sat down on a log and began trying to control my breathing. Edward looked over at me and laughed. All I could do was attempt to glare at him in my exhausted state. He began howling with laughter and I wanted to get up and walk off.

"Come on, Bella. We haven't been hiking for that long."

"Easy for you to say! Edward, you're a freaking football player! Of course it's easy for you!"

I got up and walked off. He began laughing harder.

"Bella, you're going the wrong way!" Now the laughter was just getting ridiculous. He was on the ground howling like an idiot. He was looking at me since his eyes were closed, so I took in this opportunity to strike back at him.

I dug my hand into the dirt and picked up a clump of it. I prayed that I would have aim for just this once in my life. Then I flung the mud into Edward's hair. The laughing stopped immediately. He looked up at me with shock, and then he got an evil grin on his face.

"Shit," I mumbled. I ran to hide behind a tree and screamed when I felt the mud collide with my leg. I picked up mud and flung it to Edward's face, which missed by inches. He lunged at me and I dodged out of the way. A few seconds later I felt the dirt being smeared into my hair. I looked up at him with deadly eyes and took off my jacket.

Seconds later we were having a full blown war. Mud was flying everywhere and we were out of control. Minutes later, we finally stopped and lay down side by side. I grabbed his hand and tried to squeeze it. I wasn't able to because the mud was too thick and slippery. I pouted and tried wiping my hand off on a tree. Edward, seeing my disappointment, leaned over to my face and kissed me. It was like the kiss at the dance all over again. With the exception that we looked like someone crapped all over us and we were laying down.

All too soon, he pulled away with a smile. I wanted to kiss him more, but he got up and extended his hand to me. I took it and slipped out of his grasp immediately. He wiped his hand on a tree and was able to get me off the ground. Then we walked back to the house.

On our way back, all we did was talk and hold hands. It seemed like I could never stay mad at him for long. He was trusting, loving, amazing, perfect, and etcetera. And I couldn't bring myself to say those words yet, which pissed me off. I didn't have a lot of courage, but I wasn't exactly a coward either.

"Bella," Edward said in a soft voice that made velvet seem rough.

"Yes, Edward?" I became anxious. Say it, say it, say it. And then…

"Edward, Bella! What happened to your clothes!? You need to take a shower. You're going to get sick!"

Thank you Esme. NOT! I loved the woman, but she had awful timing! Disappointment shot across Edward's face and I knew he was going to tell me something important. I went upstairs and got in the shower.

All I could think about was what Edward was going to say. I hope he would tell me soon. All of a sudden the shower curtain was pulled open.

"ALICE!"

"Bella, you've been in the damn shower for half an hour! Now get out!"

I groaned and got out. I put on a change of clothes that I brought with me. Alice looked at me with a look of disappointment and I saw that her eyes were begging for something.

"No, Alice! You may not pick out my clothes because you kicked me out of the shower!" She pouted and walked out. I threw myself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I felt someone lay next to me and saw Edward laying on the bed in grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. His hair was still a little wet but otherwise looked just like it always did, messy and sexy.

"Bella," he said in the same voice that he had used before Esme interrupted us, "I have something to tell you." I nodded, too anxious to speak. I waited a couple seconds before Edward talked again.

"Carlisle and Esme are going to adopt us." It wasn't what I wanted to hear, but I couldn't bring myself to be disappointed. I was so happy. The first thing I did was squeal, and then I jumped up and planted my lips on his. My fingers placed themselves into his damp hair and his arms seemed to have taken a liking to my waist and I was pulled on top of him. When I broke away, I stared into his eyes and smiled.

"I'm so happy for you, Edward. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. I like the sound of that."

"I might drop the Masen," he said as his smile faded.

"Why?" I didn't want him to drop the Masen. It was part of him.

"I just don't think it fits in well."

"It does too! Edward, do you really want to forget a part of you that you were born with? I fell in love with Edward Masen, and I don't want him to go away totally. Without the Masen, who are you?" I didn't realize what I said until five seconds later when he began talking again.

"Bella, I just think it's unnecessary and….wait, you said you love me?" It took him a while to catch it. I just smiled and blushed at him. Then I looked down and nodded sheepishly.

"Bella, look up please. I want to see your eyes when I tell you this." I looked up at him hesitantly, not wanting to hear anything bad. He took my chin and held it up. My eyes met his when he talked again.

"I love you Bella." About a million feelings coursed through my body. All I was able to do was stroke his cheek before he put his lips back on mine. This kiss seemed easier. Before, I tried to leak out all my love in the kisses, which took a lot of energy, but at that moment it felt as easy as walking. Well, I wasn't particularly good at walking, but I'm sure you get the point.

I no longer had to keep my feelings in. I could speak them without nervousness. I felt lightheaded and weightless. There was nothing but Edward and I. Well, I wished.

"Guys, not on my bed!" Our kiss broke away as we looked to see Alice standing in the doorway with her eyes shielded. I guess there were people who had worse timing than Esme after all. Edward took me in his arms and carried me out the room as I giggled.

"I'll be taking this," he said to Alice who made a gagging sound and pushed him out of the doorway.

Once the door shut, he looked at me again with his crooked smile. I took his face in my hands stroked his cheeks gently. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. He walked to the living room and placed me on the couch. Then he sat next to me and whispered "I love you Isabella Marie Swan."

"I love you Edward Anthony Masen soon- to- be Cullen."

"You're right. Masen does sound better in my name."

"I'm glad you like it." We heard music playing in the stereo. The intro was slow and had a good rhythm to it. But when the guitar came in, it really ruined the moment. Edward sighed and shook his head as Donna ran into the room and began screaming the words and head banging. Where the hell did she come from?

_BANG!  
Explosions in my head that just won't quit  
A train has crashed into the wall around my heart and left the old me dead  
Obliterated_

_STOP!  
My breathing in the night when you're not there  
The silence ringing through my ears and all I want to do is hear your voice  
But you're not there_

_Drawn Together  
Painter's brush stroke  
Sleight of hand  
We won't go up in smoke  
Fates colliding  
Love undying_

_Like the rising tide  
Beating hearts grow but never die  
To simplify  
I'll stand by your side  
Close my eyes  
Hope will never die_

Well, I can't say that it wasn't a Donna song.

"Bella, pop quiz! What band is this?" I thought about the voice and knew it was familiar.

"Atreyu," I answered simply.

"I've taught you well." She sniffled and began fake crying. "I'm so proud!" She ran over and jumped on Edward and me. "Sorry guys, but couple time is over." I pouted as Edward lifted me up again and brought me outside to his Volvo. He sat me on the trunk and sat next to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"We can never be alone in this house, can we?" I sighed and nodded in agreement with his statement.

"Come on," he said quietly, "I'll take you home, love." When he used the word love like that it sent chills up my spine. I kissed his cheek and hopped off the trunk. Fell off is more appropriate. "See," Edwards said, "you're falling all over me. I think you need your sleep." He chuckled and opened the door for me.

We talked about his adoption the whole ride back to my house. I was so happy that not only Edward, but Alice and Emmett also, could legally have parents. We arrived at my house all too soon. His reckless driving got us there within ten minutes. Sighing, I opened the door and said bye.

He wasn't having that. He pulled me back in and kissed my lips softly. "I love you Bella."

"That was the kind of reaction I wanted. And I love you too."

"Well, I'll remember that."

I giggled and said "Goodnight Edward."

**A.N. Happy Valentine's Day! And happy belated Friday the Thirteenth! Oh, good week indeed. I have a random question for you. Have you seen the Count Chocula cereal in a while? Because it doesn't seem to exist anymore where I live and that is quite depressing for me. Anyway, guess whose birthday is next week! Yeah… I think you got it… that's right… Ashley Greene, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ellen Page! Oh, and it's also mine, my twin sister's, and maybe one of my characters. (Hint hint Cough cough) Anyway, hope your day has been good! **


	13. Freebird

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A.N. Okay, I usually don't do these in the beginning of the chapter, but I just want to say that you will now be reading the infamous… Edward's Point of View! Applause, applause! Woo hoo! So, let's begin.**

EPOV

Donna needed to shut the hell up. I mean, I knew it was her birthday and I should try to be patient with her, but patience didn't come easily to me when it came to small, hyper people. This includes Alice. Donna was non- stop talking about how much I looked at Bella and how many times we had made out that week. I wanted to stuff her face into the seat. I sped up even though I was already going fifteen miles over the speed limit. The sooner we got to my house, the sooner Donna would shut her mouth.

Esme and Alice were the ones who had the surprise party planned for our dearest annoying Donna. I loved Donna and I enjoyed celebrating her birthday, but I didn't think we needed to make a huge deal of it. She was only turning fifteen, and that age didn't really matter. I pulled up into the driveway and Donna hopped out of the Volvo. Thank God, silence.

We went onto the porch and sat there.

"Donna, could you wait here? I have to call Emmett. He stole my key." Donna sat on the porch swing and took out her iPod.

I got out my phone and called Bella, who was right in the house.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

"No, it's the grim reaper."

"Well, if that's the case, then I guess I should make sure the grim reaper is a girl."

"Nice. Are you here?"

"Yes. I'm here with the annoying birthday girl. Are you guys ready?"

"Yes. Just wait till Emmett shows up. I love you."

"I love you too."

Emmett's jeep pulled up into the driveway. He hopped out and ran up to Donna. Donna opened her arms wide and waited for him to lift her up in his arms in his bear hug.

"How's the birthday girl?" Emmett looked down at Donna with happy eyes. He absolutely loved parties, especially ones for Donna. He enjoyed spoiling her just as much as Alice did.

"She's good. But she's freezing her ass off, so you might want to open the door." Emmett let out a chuckle and opened the door. As soon as Donna took off her coat, everyone came out yelling surprise.

"I KNEW IT! HA! YOU GUYS ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" Donna was grinning widely. She ran up to the first person in her sight, who happened to be her father, Nathaniel or Nate. She was hugging her father like he gave her a car or something. Nate had on a proud smile as her hugged his daughter back. He lifted her and flung her over his shoulders. She screamed and giggled. I looked over to see Bella approaching me.

At that moment, I didn't really notice the birthday girl. I walked over to Bella and wrapped her in a hug. She had no idea what a simple hug could do to me or how one word out of her mouth could make my knees go a bit weak.

"Great job, love," I whispered in her ear. She shivered and kissed my cheek. I felt how warm her lips were and knew she was blushing. I pulled away from her reluctantly and settled for holding began. Once Seth turned on the music, the party had officially begun.

-

About three hours after the party had begun, I was tired. I didn't know why sleepiness came over me, but I knew I needed to lie down. I went over to the empty couch and lay down. Before I could close my eyes though, I looked over to see Bella dancing. I was entranced by how she could move so carelessly and freely and I was reminded of why I had stayed up so long. She wasn't even aware that she looked so amazing to me.

I stared at her for a bit longer before feeling a small person sitting on my legs. I saw a flash of strawberry blonde hair and I knew it was Donna in all her birthday glory. She was looking at me with a malicious smirk. I knew she was going to give me crap.

"You dirty whore! Staring at Bella like that, lusting after her! What the hell Eddie? I thought you were raised better than that!" Her voice had a strong tone of sarcasm in it, but I kind of thought she was a bit serious about it.

"Donna, shut up. I was raised very well, and I am not lusting after her right now."

"Yes you are. You always are, so don't give me that crap. You may not be lusting for her body, but you are lusting for her voice and her lips and don't even say I'm wrong because you know damn well I am not."

'I know. You are right about the voice and lips thing. But I am not a horny teenager."

"I never said you were. Just don't ever let your hormones get the best of your personality. Got it?"

I nodded and got up. She fell off my legs and I laughed. She pouted and stuck her tongue out at me. Her tongue soon went into her mouth as soon as the words presents were yelled.

Donna ran into the living room and went to find an open spot for herself. There were three open spots, but she chose to sit down in Seth's lap. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. She began opening cards and reading them out loud. I would have listened to her, but I was too busy listening to her choice of music, which was still playing quietly in the background. It was an interesting song to hear at a party for someone like Donna. Then again, Donna appreciated music like it was art, and she treated rock ballads like they were hymns.

_If I leave here tomorrow  
Would you still remember me?  
For I must be travelling on, now,  
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.  
But, if I stayed here with you, girl,  
Things just couldn't be the same.  
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,  
And this bird you can not change.  
Lord knows, I can't change._

Once Donna began opening the present from our family, I began holding my breath. I knew she would like it, but I was still in high anticipation on how she would act.

Donna's scream echoed through the house as she took the guitar out of the case. It was purple and black with the autograph of Travis Miguel, the guitarist from Atreyu. She stroked the guitar lovingly and screamed again when she saw a pair of amplifiers being pulled out. She hopped off of Seth's lap and ran to the amplifiers. Donna plugged in her guitar and began strumming random notes.

The music was turned off in the background and all was silent. Donna took a seat next to Bella and began to play a song. She soon began singing and Nate hummed the words with her.

_Love of my life, you hurt me,  
You broken my heart, now you leave me._

Love of my life cant you see,  
Bring it back bring it back,  
Don't take it away from me,  
Because you don't know what it means to me.

Love of my life don't leave me,  
You've stolen my love now desert me,

Love of my life cant you see,  
Bring it back bring it back,  
Don't take it away from me,  
Because you don't know what it means to me.

You will remember when this is blown over,  
And everything's all by the way,  
When I grow older,  
I will be there by your side,  
To remind how I still love you  
I still love you.  
_Hurry back hurry back,_

_Don't take it away from me,  
Because you don't know what it means to me._

Love of my life,  
Love of my life.

Once she was done, everyone cheered and yelled for her as she, for the first time ever since I had known her, blushed. I let out a small laugh before looking over to Bella who had a big smile on her face.

"See, now I'm not the only one who blushes now. Oh, you don't know how relieved I am right now." Everyone began laughing then, and Donna blushed harder when Seth went up to her and whispered something in her ear.

"Now Seth is just trying to pull an Edward," Donna said giggling. It was then Bella's turn to blush. I laughed when I realized that Seth really was pulling an "Edward". The though made me laugh even louder and fall on the floor.

Once all the laughs were done, Donna's last present was pulled out. So far, she had gotten a charm bracelet from Bella, Rock Band 2 from Nate, a Victoria's Secret gift card from Rosalie (who exclaimed that Donna was going to get some perfume when Nate's eyes popped out of his head), a hoodie from Jasper (which was three sizes too big for her, just how she liked it), and money from everyone else. And, of course, the guitar and amplifiers from my family. The only person who had to give Donna a present was Seth. Seth picked up a box that had small holes in it and I began guessing what it was. A cat… no Donna was allergic to cats. A bunny… no she was allergic to bunnies also. Bird, hamster, snakes, puppy… I had no idea.

When Donna opened the box, she gasped so loud and then the gasp turned into awe. Donna pulled a small puppy out of the box. It appeared to be a pit bull with grey fur and big brown eyes. Donna cuddled it into her chest and kissed its head.

"Boy or girl?" Alice was bouncing up and down with excitement. She loved dogs.

"Boy… and his name is Geddy. Geddy Lee Denali." Nate let out an excited yelp when he heard the name of the dog.

After a few minutes of sitting down, staring at the beautiful Geddy Lee, the party started up again. Donna never let go of Geddy, even when Seth kept leaning down to try to give her a kiss. She held on to her new precious baby tightly. He seemed disappointed that he was being replaced by a dog, until Geddy licked his face and Donna planted her lips on his. He didn't seem disappointed after that.

Though I was enjoying myself, I didn't want to be in the house at that moment. I went outside to the backyard and lay down on the wet ground with the hood of my sweatshirt up. Someone sat next to me and grabbed my hand. I squeezed her hand back and looked up at Bella. She lay down next to me and faced me. I turned over to look at her face. She put her hand in my hair and began running her fingers through it lightly, maybe trying to tame it.

I put my hand on one side of her face and stroked her warm cheek. Was she ever cold? I didn't think she could be. Any skin contact I had with her made me feel warm. A car pulled up into the driveway and I didn't recognize it.

"Edward, will you take me home? I'm feeling tired." I got up and reached down to grab her hands and pulled her up. We walked to my car and I drove her home.

-

When I got back home after dropping Bella off, the unfamiliar car was still in the driveway. I walked into the house and was immediately hugged by Donna.

"I missed you too, Donna, but I was only gone for about half an hour," I said playfully.

"Edward, you should probably go upstairs."

"Why?"

Because…" Donna didn't get a chance to finish before someone interrupted her.

"Edward?" I looked up and saw and older Donna, longer haired Donna.

"Tanya?" She smiled at me.

"We have a lot to talk about don't we?"

**A.N. Happy almost birthday to me! Yay! Anyway… I would like to dedicate this chapter to **_aagirl101_**for having being interested in my music. I am also in the process of listening to the songs that were recommended by her. Did anyone know what song Donna sang? And does anyone know who Geddy Lee is? If you answer either or both of these questions, I will dedicate the next chapter to you.**


	14. I Will Not Forget

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

EPOV

It had been one week since Donna's birthday and since Tanya's return. I was a bit worried when she wanted to talk to me, but I guess I didn't really need to be worried about anything.

_*Flashback*_

_I walked into the kitchen with Tanya and looked at her with a slightly worried glance. She was smirking at me. I couldn't help but gulp. I didn't even know why I was nervous. Then she began talking._

"_So, Edward, how's your girlfriend? Donna seems to like her a lot." _

_I waited a couple seconds before clearing my throat and responding._

"_Bella is great. I really love her. And I don't want you to mess that up."_

"_Edward, what the heck? Do you really think that little of me? That I would try to ruin your happiness? Edward, I'm so happy for you. You said it when we broke up. 'Tanya, I think I am meant to be with someone else. I really do care for you, but as a friend.' That was exactly what you said. And I believe you were, still are, and forever will be right about that. I just want to see you happy."_

"_So, you're over me?"_

"_Well yeah! I got over you about a week after you broke up with me. Did Donna tell you that I was madly in love with you?"_

"_Something like that… she said you talked about me a lot."_

"_Well of course I did! You are one of the most interesting people ever. Not to mention you are one of my only non- gay guy friends. Go ahead and feel honored about that."_

"_I am deeply honored."_

"_Good. As you should be. Anyway, I know that Donna probably thinks I am as diabolical as Irina. But I am very different from her. She just sees what she wants, which is fine with me. Anyway, tell me about Bella. I'm guessing she's beautiful. You've always had good taste."_

_So I told her about Bella and about everything I loved about Bella. When I was done, Tanya let out a big dreamy sigh._

"_Oh, Edward, she sounds so perfect for you. Oh, jeez, I have to leave. And there is one thing I want to warn you about."_

"_What?"_

"_My sisters and mother are coming into town next weekend to celebrate Donna's birthday. Toodles!"_

_Well that couldn't be good._

_*Flashback over*_

Donna was in our kitchen, frying meat to make her famous tacos.

"Why," I said, "does your family celebration have to be here?"

"Because," Donna said in a bored voice, "you guys are my family. Irina and my mother may be blood, but they are not family. Plus, you and Jasper might have to tear Emmett and me off of Irina once she begins getting annoying."

I snorted before hearing the doorbell ring. I ran up to the door and saw Rosalie and her parents accompanied by Jasper and his mom. I noticed how Rosalie's dad and Jasper's mom looked alike. They were siblings, so I guess it shouldn't be so shocking to me. I took everybody's coats before going back into the kitchen to see Tanya frying up peppers and onions.

"Now Tanya, don't burn them like you did last time," Donna said in a mock stern voice.

"Shut up Donna! That was one time and it was because you were beating Irina up right by the stove."

I burst out laughing just as the doorbell rang again. Bella was at the door with Charlie. I greeted Charlie with a handshake and he walked into the house. When he wasn't looking, I kissed Bella and took her hand. She was blushing and scowling at me. I gave her an innocent look before leading her into the kitchen.

Tanya turned around from the stove and gasped when she saw Bella. She ran up to Bella and pulled her into a tight hug. Bella looked at me with wide eyes and put her arms hesitantly around Tanya's shoulders. Tanya' realizing that Bella was uncomfortable, pulled away quickly and looked at Bella sheepishly.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I'm Tanya. I just feel like I know you. Edward always talks about you in such and amazing manner that it's hard for me to not like you already." Bella gave Tanya a small smile and Tanya squealed. "Oh, Edward, she does have a beautiful smile. And she does look like a tomato right now! Oh, sorry. Edward just loves your blush. Don't be embarrassed, it's so adorable."

Bella began giggling and I stroked her cheek. Tanya let out an aww before turning back to the stove. The door bell rang again and I sighed. I knew who was going to be at the door and Donna wouldn't exactly be too welcoming towards them.

Once I opened the door, I was hugged by someone. I hugged back when I realized it was Carmen. Kate was smirking at me and winked when she saw a curious Bella staring at our new guests. I was really good friends with Carmen when we were younger, and Kate and I used to team up in basketball against Alice and Emmett and we would always win. The Denali sisters were pretty close to our family.

"Donna! Where are you? Come give your mom a hug!" Donna's mom, Sasha, yelled out. I pointed to the kitchen and followed her there.

Once Donna saw her mom, she didn't even try to muffle the groan that came out of her throat. Her mom pulled her into a hug and Donna patted her back a few times before Sasha finally let go. Sasha was grinning wickedly at Donna and Donna groaned again.

"Donna, you know what it means when you turn fifteen?"

"Yes, I finally get to start driving class so then once I'm sixteen I get to drive away from you whenever you piss me off." Sasha laughed at this, thinking it was a joke.

"No, silly Donna! It means you finally get to go to the Denali cabin with your sisters! Isn't that wonderful?"

"I'm overjoyed," Donna said sarcastically. Her mom walked out of the kitchen and Irina walked in. "Aw, crap, why the hell do you have to be here!?"

"Shut up, Donna. I came here so I could see your boyfriend. From what I hear, he's quite the cutie."

"Oh, no you don't! You have Laurent! If you do anything to Seth, I will make sure that either A) You will go to jail for life for rape or B) I will kill you!"

"Jesus, Donna I was just kidding. Do you think I'm that much of a whore?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Now go drown in a puddle," Donna said furiously. Irina stomped off and Seth walked into the kitchen holding Geddy Lee. He kissed Donna's forehead before putting Geddy into her waiting arms. She cradled the puppy against her chest and leaned into Seth's arms.

She sat there for a couple minutes, cooling off her temper which was set on fire by Irina. Bella walked in and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Is Donna okay? She looks like she's ready to kill someone," Bella whispered in my ear.

"I think she'll be okay. Let's go watch a movie in the living room. We'll wait till dinner's done." She nodded and grabbed my hand. Once we sat down, she put her head on my shoulder and I put my arms around her. I sighed happily and pressed play.

-

Everyone sat at the large table in the dining room. Donna sat at the head of the table. Seth sat on one side of Donna and Nate, Donna's dad, sat on the other. Jasper's mom sat next to Nate and they seemed to be quite comfortable with each other, flirting and laughing. Charlie was seated next to Sasha, who kept giggling when Charlie said something funny. Donna looked at her dad with a large smile and he reflected the smile.

Everyone was talking in quiet conversations. Well, not Emmett and Kate. They were stuffing the food in their mouths like it was their last meal. I saw Rosalie trying to contain her laughter when Emmett tried to grin at her. Donna looked like she wasn't hungry because she had hardly touched her food. She was too busy looking at her dad's smiling face.

Bella also seemed to be troubled. She was looking down at her tacos as if she was debating whether or not she wanted to eat them. She quickly excused herself before exiting up the stairs. I followed her up the stairs and went into Alice's room, where she was sitting on the ground. I sat next to her and pulled her into my lap.

"Bella, what's wrong? You know you can tell me." She looked up at my face and sighed. Then she looked down at her knees.

"Bella, please, tell me. I want to help you." She waited a few more seconds before sighing again.

"Tanya… is… well… Donna told me a few weeks ago that Tanya was coming. And she told me to watch out… in case Tanya…" She didn't finish talking but I knew what she was going to say.

"Bella, I would never do anything like that. Tanya and I only went out for about three weeks. She got over me about a week after I broke up with her. You have nothing to worry about."

"She just… intimidates me. Kind of like Rosalie does. I guess that's just what tall blondes do to me." I laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Well, I prefer brunettes." **(A.N. I know I used the quote from Twilight. I apologize if I have offended anyone by using it, but it just seemed to fit.)**

Bella laughed and kissed my cheek. Then she lay back in my arms and sighed again.

"That's not all your worried about is it," I said. She nodded and rolled her eyes.

"You know me too well. I'm worried about Donna's mom. She seems to… like my dad a lot and he seems to return the favor. I don't want his heart to be broken again."

"Bella, I think your dad can handle himself. He's an adult. And Donna's mom… well I'm not sure about her. But Charlie can take care of himself, so don't worry." She nodded.

"I still am worried about Tanya. I mean, why else would she just run up to me and give me a hug. What if she tries to be my friend and then stabs me in the back?"

"Tanya isn't as bad as people make her seem. So don't believe everything that Donna tells you until you hear what Tanya has to say. I think you two could get along well."

"Fine, I'll try to make friends with the blonde." I chuckled and stood up with Bella in my arms.

"So, are we going to eat now? Because Donna's tacos are one of the best things I have ever tasted. No joke."

"Better than Esme's tacos?"

"Honestly?" She nodded, waiting for my verdict on who had the better taco recipe. "Donna. I just could never tell that to Esme. I'm afraid it would break her heart." Bella looked at me in shock before grinning and shaking her head.

I put her down and we walked down the stairs together. Emmett, Kate, and Donna already had their plates cleaned while Seth was getting more tacos. Bella and I sat and began to eat. Apparently, something had happened while we were gone between Irina and Rosalie, because they both had food in their hair. Rosalie had a satisfied smirk on her face while Irina was scowling.

Once I was done eating, I walked over to Emmett and Rosalie, who were sitting on the love seat, watching T.V.

"So, Rose," I said in an amused tone, "what happened between you and Irina?"

"You mean the wicked bitch of the north? She was batting her eyes at Emmett and flirting with him. I told her to back off, and she just laughed at me. The she had the nerve to got sit next to him in your spot and stroke his hair and grab his thigh. I warned her to back off once more, but she just smirked and went back to seducing him.

I just looked towards the kitchen to see if there was a butcher knife in there. Then I felt lettuce in my hair and turned to see Emmett with wide eyes and the bitch with that stupid smirk."

Then I began throwing everything at her and cussing at her and now I'm grounded for a week for being inappropriate in front of other adults and disrespecting Irina, who is apparently my elder because she is a year older than me. But it was worth it to see her cringe and scream."

"Wow, nice," was all I said right before Alice came in and plugged in the karaoke machine. Everyone but Donna and Alice groaned when they saw it.

"Alice," Bella groaned, "do we have to do this?"

"Yes," Alice said in a perky tone before plugging in the microphones and handing them to Esme and Charlie. "All of the adults need to pick out a song that you are all going to sing together. Let's go!"

All of the adults except for Esme groaned and went over to look at the list of songs there was.

After a few minutes of quietly speaking and bickering, the adults all agreed on a song. Carlisle put the CD in and Charlie began to sing.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better._

Sasha was smiling at him when he finished his solo. Emmett and Bella were cheering loudly, and Charlie had a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Rosalie's mother sang the next part with Jasper's mom. Nate was smiling at Jasper's mom, who kept winking at him.__

Hey Jude, don't be afraid.  
You were made to go out and get her.  
The minute you let her under your skin,  
Then you begin to make it better.

Nate and Carlisle sang the next part together and it was funny to see Nate winking at Jasper's mom. She was blushing and smirking while he looked at her. Carlisle was holding Esme's hand as she sang.__

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.  
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder.

Esme and Rosalie's dad began to sing together at the next verse and I was amazed to hear Esme's lovely voice. It was as beautiful as Bella's. She and Rosalie's father's voices were in perfect harmony together.__

Hey Jude, don't let me down.  
You have found her, now go and get her.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better.

All of the women began to sing the next verse and Bella was singing along at that point.__

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,  
You're waiting for someone to perform with.  
And don't you know that its just you, hey Jude, you'll do,  
The movement you need is on your shoulder.

The men began to sing together and Emmett was laughing at how weird it sounded when all of the guys sang together. It wasn't as good as it would've been if the women were singing with them.__

Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her under your skin,  
Then you'll begin to make it  
Better better better better better better, oh.

Na na na na na ,na na na, hey Jude... 

Everyone in the room began to sing the end together. Although the end went on forever, no one seemed to have a problem with that. Especially Alice, considering the fact that it was her idea. Once the song was done, we all began to applause the adults. They bowed and blushed and winked at us.

Alice went up to Donna and whispered something in her ear. Donna looked back at Alice and shook her head with wide eyes. Alice nodded at her and Donna sighed. Then she went to pick up the guitar we gave her, which she named after the lead singer of Heart, Ann Wilson, claiming she had too many men in her life. Donna sat down next to Alice in the small rocking chair. Alice smiled at her and set up a microphone. Donna strummed Ann a few times before playing an unfamiliar tune. It was a sad tune, but I became interested when she began singing.

_I will not forget_

_I will not forget_

_I will not forget but,_

_I wish I couldn't remember._

_This guilt is building up inside_

_I saw you with my own eyes,_

_This guilt is tearing me apart_

_If I tell him it'll break his heart._

_Now I can't even look at you_

_You've damaged me that much,_

_Whenever I see you I'm reminded that_

_You've been scarred by another man's touch._

_It sickens me_

_To always see _

_You planting kisses all over that stranger's face._

_Maybe you weren't in your right mind,_

_That doesn't change the fact that I'm hiding your lies._

_I will not forget,_

_I will not forget,_

_I will not forget,_

_But I wish I couldn't remember._

The song finished and Emmett had a puzzled face.

"What song was that?" Emmett looked at Donna curiously as he said that. Everyone else looked at Donna with the same curious expression.

"It… it's a song I wrote." Donna looked down at her shoes and blushed. Everyone was smiling at her and telling her what a good job she did. "But it's not finished yet. And it probably never will be."

"Of course it will," Bella said, "I'll help you if you need it." Seth nodded in agreement and handed Geddy to Donna while he took Ann.

"By the way," Rosalie asked curiously, "where did you get the inspiration from?"

"An old friend of mine," Donna said in a voice that told people to drop it. Everyone nodded and there was a long silence. Rosalie's parents glanced over at the clock and broke the silence.

"Well, we should get going. Good bye everyone. We had a wonderful time." Rosalie's parents hugged Carlisle and Esme before leaving. Jasper's mom followed Mr. and Mrs. Hale out, but not before kissing Nate on the cheek. Jasper gave Alice a kiss goodbye and Rosalie hugged Emmett before following Jasper out.

Alice went back up to the microphone and shoved it in Bella's face. Bella shoved it back at Alice and Alice hissed at her. Literally hissed at Bella. Bella stared at Alice with wide eyes before bursting out laughing. Her laughing was cut short when Charlie told her it was time to leave.

Bella frowned before getting up to embrace Donna and Alice, who seemed to have forgiven her. Charlie was hugging Sasha, who was kissing his cheek and whispering in his ear. Charlie began blushing and smiling at Sasha. Since I figure Charlie wasn't paying much attention, I picked Bella up and ran with her to the kitchen.

"Edward, what the…"

She didn't get a chance to finish before I kissed her. I set her on the ground and wrapped my arms around her waist. She had her hands in my hair and around my neck. She slipped her tongue into my mouth and I returned the favor. My arms became tighter around her and my breath was becoming short. I smiled against her lips before pulling away.

"Well," Bella said breathlessly, "that's what I call a nice goodbye."

I laughed along with her before saying," I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward." She gave me a quick peck before walking out.

As soon as she left my arms, I felt a bit sad. When I was with Bella, I was at the peak of my happiness. I hoped she felt the same way as I did. She always seemed reluctant to leave me, but I wasn't sure if she loved me as much as I loved her. But that didn't bother me at all, because I just loved the fact that she loved me. I just hoped that I wasn't moving too fast for her. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

I went into the living room to hear yelling and stuff being knocked over.

I walked in to see Donna and Irina wrestling around. Emmett looked ready to pounce at any time. Nate and Sasha didn't look happy at all. To say they looked pissed would be an understatement. They were yelling for the girls to break up. Seth was standing on the side, not sure what to do. Alice was holding Geddy, who was barking with excitement.

I looked over at Seth and waved him over so he could help me break them apart. Carlisle and Esme had worried faces as I walked over to the battle ground. I tore Irina off Donna in seconds and held her hands behind her back.

"Whore! You better never say that again! Take it back," Donna was shrieking as Seth held her against her chest. He decided it was a good idea to get her out of the room as fast as he could. He struggled to drag her to the stairs, so he just decided to fling her over his shoulders.

I looked at Irina who was smirking at me. I looked down at my shirt and realized that it was hugging my chest. I let go of her immediately and began gagging. I ran up the stairs and Alice followed.

We saw Seth holding Donna down on the bed of the guest room. He had one hand going through her hair and the other one holding her hands above her head.

"Seth," Alice said, "that looks really wrong. I know you're trying to calm her down, but holding her down won't help." Alice walked over to the bed and set Geddy on Donna's stomach. Seth let go of her hands, but continued to stroke her hair. Donna closed her eyes and began humming Clair de Lune.

Within a few minutes, Donna was asleep. Seth kissed her forehead before taking Geddy off her stomach and going into the hall. Alice and I went with him.

"What happened? What did Irina say?"

"Well," Seth said, "madam screws- a- lot was… well she…"

"She was seducing poor Seth," Alice finished.

"Yeah," Seth agreed, "it was really creepy. I walked away and told Donna. Once I told her, she went over and punched Irina. Then she began cussing at her and slapping her. Irina grabbed her wrist and spit in Donna's face. Then all hell broke loose.

"Donna tackled Irina and they began wrestling. Emmett was ready to intervene if Irina hurt Donna, but he knew that Donna wanted to fight Irina on her own."

"So," I said, "how was Donna doing?"

"Amazing," Seth said admirably, "she has some of the best fighting styles I've ever seen. She's so aggressive, yet so in control."

"Yeah, she kicked ass," Alice said with a huge grin.

We all walked downstairs and watched as Carlisle examined Irina.

"Well," he said in his doctor tone, "it looks like you might have a few broken ribs and a lot of bruises, otherwise nothing serious. Just take it easy." Irina nodded and flashed a smile at Carlisle, who smiled back at her. Alice watched Irina with a look of disgust. Now she was hitting on our father.

Donna came down an hour later, rubbing her eyes.

"Carlisle, I think my wrist is broken." Carlisle felt her wrist and she cringed.

"It's not broken, but it is sprained. You should probably put ice on it." Donna nodded and walked out to the kitchen.

"Oh, and Donna," Carlisle called out. She turned around and waited for his reply. "You throw one hell of a punch." Alice and I looked at him in shock and Donna smiled at him. Seth burst out laughing.

"So Carlisle," Seth said, "I didn't know you rated punches. How would you rate Donna's punch on a scale of one to ten?"

"Twenty," Carlisle said before walking out.

**A.N. So, did I do good or bad? And I did actually make up the lyrics that Donna sang. I made them up in like half an hour today. Yay! And guess what I got for my birthday? Count Chocula! It was a good week. So, I'm thinking about discontinuing Out of Darkness because no one reads it. It's disappointing because I really like that story and I have some good ideas. Anyway, dedication time! To all of the following people, I dedicate this chapter to you: **_Bella-Da-Twilighter-10__, __4everbellaxedward__, __a-may92__, __FreakyLittlePixie__, twilifexo, __xOzackyvOXjakexO__._ **BTW, Geddy Lee is the bassist and lead singer of Rush, a Canadian rock band and the song was Love of my Life by Queen. If you didn't know that, now you do. And bellafan4ever, I listened to some of In Flames songs. They're pretty awesome. **


	15. You're Gonna Go Far Kid

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

Third Person POV

A dark brunette haired teenager jogged up the steps to a white house. She knocked a few times before a fifteen year old girl answered the door.

"Who the hell are you?" The fifteen-year old asked, merely surprised.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too, short one…" The brunette mumbled and looked over to see a copper-haired boy come out from the kitchen.

She walked in, ran up to him, and hugged him. He was astounded at first, but then looked at her more closely.

He finally got it after a few double-takes and his jaw dropped.

"You've grown…" She noted and pretended to scribble down on a note pad.

"And you've been snappier…" Edward laughed when she smacked his shoulder.

"What's going on here?" A female voice came from behind Dakota. She turned and saw another brunette with hands on her hips, looking at them with curious eyes.

"Oh, you must be Bella! I'm Dakota, Edward mustn't have told you, but he once lived in Maine and his family was best friends with mine. We've kept in touch after he moved here into Forks. I've just missed the whole gang so much and I heard that they were becoming Cullens. I had to come!" She grinned and held her hand out.

Bella smiled and shook her hand, then turned and grabbed Edward to drag him into the kitchen.

BPOV

I didn't know how I should've felt at the moment that Dakota walked in and hugged Edward. She seemed really nice and I didn't want to make judgments right away, but why wouldn't Edward have told me about her? I had to hold some suspicion so I could protect myself, even if my suspicions were completely wrong. I walked into the kitchen with Edward and saw his worried eyes.

I immediately felt bad. I knew I was probably over reacting, but how could I not? I knew about Tanya, so that was a bit different. Well, as I looked at Edward, my worries went away. I quickly forget what I was going to interrogate him about and just looked at him. I was keeping him from one of his old friends. I asked the first question that came to mind.

"So, she's from Maine?" Stupid, I know. But I couldn't think of what else I could ask without jealous.

Edward smirked at me and kissed my cheek. "Yes she's from Maine. I was thinking that we could go there in the summer. Maine is beautiful in the summer. I can't believe she's here. Do you want to get to know her?" I nodded with as much excitement I could muster. I knew I had to ask him about her, but I didn't want to do it now and keep Dakota waiting.

He practically sprinted out of the kitchen. I was surprised to see Donna and Dakota laughing when I entered the living room. Dakota was awfully pretty when she laughed. She had the same kind of glowing sound that Donna had.

"Donna," Dakota said choking back laughter, "did Edward really do that?"

"Yeah! And I had to get up in the middle of the night to bail him out. What an idiot, right?" Donna was on the ground laughing and Dakota was lying back on the couch laughing just as hard as Donna was.

"Dakota, come here," Edward said with ease and amusement laced into his voice. "You have to see the house. Are you going to stay here, because you know Esme will be overjoyed if you do."

"Well, Donna has actually offered. I'm just going to stay till next Sunday, then I'm going back home."

It was weird that Donna offered Dakota a place to stay. She had barely known Dakota for ten minutes and is already offering her a place to stay.

"Also," Dakota said, "Donna has a large selection of cereal, ranging from Fruity Pebbles to Count Chocula. And you know what a sucker I am for Frosted Flakes."

"Dakota," Edward said with authority, "you're going to stay here. You barely know Donna."

"So," Donna said, "it's not like I'm a pedophile. You know Dakota will be safe and happy at my house."

"Actually," Dakota said, "I should probably stay with Carlisle and Esme. Maybe I could sleepover at your house on Friday, though. Does that sound good?"

Donna nodded. "Excellent."

Dakota winked at Donna before going to Edward and putting her elbow on his shoulder.

"See, I can't even do it anymore. You used to be so much shorter than me. Damn you," she said in a mock horrified voice. Edward smiled down at her before leading her up the stairs.

Donna ran up the stairs and pushed Edward out of the way. Edward sighed before picking Donna up and putting her a few steps behind him. Dakota was giggling and I was watching with an amused smile. My eyes met Dakota's for a moment, and I noticed that they were blue. They were a devastatingly beautiful sea blue color that could melt a person's soul, kind of like Edward's could. I wouldn't deny that she was beautiful. She was so natural with her beauty too. She and Donna were too similar, and it scared me a bit.

I decided that I should go home. I didn't want to interrupt Edward's reunion with Dakota anymore then I already did. I would probably just kill the mood. I went up the stairs and saw Edward in his room showing Dakota his CD collection. I went up to Edward and wrapped my arms around his waist. I kissed his cheek and heard Dakota let out an aww, much like Tanya did the day before.

"Hey," Donna yelled out, "no PDA!"

"Donna please," Edward said, "you've made out not only in high school but also in middle school. And you have the nerve to tell me that I'm doing too much PDA in my own home."

"Hey," Donna said, "I don't believe I asked you to put your two cents in now did I? Now shut your dirty mouth!" Dakota was on Edward's bed laughing and I was trying to hold back my laughter. Edward turned around and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I'm going to go home," I said quietly to him. His face fell

"Why?"

"I think you should get some time to catch up with Dakota with just the two of you. I don't want to interrupt your bonding time."

"You make it sound like we're on a father- son camping trip. We don't really need bonding time, Bella. If anything, you should 'bond' with us. I'm sure Dakota wants to get to know you." Dakota nodded and smiled.

"Eddie," Donna said, "no offense, but that sounds wrong to my ears."

"Donna! Get your mind out of the gutter," Dakota said while giggling.

"Really though," I said, "we have the rest of the week to get to know each other. I'll take Donna home."

"Bella, I want you to stay. We'll have much more fun with you two around."

"Please Edward. Do it for me?" Yes, I pulled that line out. I mustered up the best puppy dog face I could and he sighed.

"You have no idea the power you have over me," he said in a defeated tone. "You can go, but you better be coming over tomorrow, alright?"

"Of course," I said before kissing him.

He reluctantly let go of my hand. I kissed his cheek again and walked out of the room. I was still feeling insecure and wasn't having the most pleasant thoughts about the mysterious Dakota at that moment. It was mean to feel harshly about a person I barely knew, but it wasn't completely my fault. Did Edward have some reason to have hidden her from me? I was letting my foolish emotions get in the way of my trust for Edward and that pissed me off.

I started my truck and Donna plugged her iPod in to the radio.

"Donna," I groaned, "I'm not in the mood for music right now, especially if you're going to be playing screamo music."

"Bella, this isn't a screamo song. In fact, you might even enjoy it."

"I don't want to listen to music." She ignored my wishes and put on a song.

_Show me how to lie  
You're getting better all the time  
And turning all against the one  
Is an art that's hard to teach  
Another clever word  
Sets off an unsuspecting herd  
And as you get back into line  
A mob jumps to their feet_

Now dance, f****r, dance  
Man, he never had a chance  
And no one even knew  
It was really only you

And now you steal away  
Take him out today  
Nice work you did  
You're gonna go far, kid

With a thousand lies  
And a good disguise  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
When you walk away  
Nothing more to say  
See the lightning in your eyes  
See 'em running for their lives

Donna was singing with the song and I had to admit that it was a pretty upbeat. Well, the lyrics weren't exactly, but the music was. I guess Donna knew how to cheer me up perfectly. I was dancing in my seat with her and laughing as she continued singing the lyrics. We arrived at her house as another song started. It was a Panic at the Disco song. Donna pulled her iPod and opened the door.

"By the way, Bella?"

"What?"

"I just want to tell you that you don't have to be jealous or insecure about Dakota or anything. I'll talk to you later, alright? Call me and we'll talk about your problems."

"Donna, I'm not in much of a talking mood."

"That's okay, we don't have to talk about it, but call me anyway. I just want to talk to you. We haven't hung out or anything in a while. I miss that." She gave me a sad look before hopping out the truck.

"Donna," I called out. She turned around and I said, "Tell me more about Dakota when you come over for dinner tonight." She smiled at me and blew me a kiss. I wasn't planning on eating dinner, but I wanted to make Donna happy. She was pretty stressed that whole weekend with all of her sisters in town and Tanya moving back in. I also heard that she and Irina had a fight. I wanted to hear about it. There was so much for Donna and I to talk about.

But the most important thing I wanted to talk about was the mysterious Dakota.

**A.N. No, the chapter isn't done yet. I just want to tell you that I am co-writing the next few chapters with DakotaCullen, who has created the character Dakota. Anyway, enjoy what you read. **

Dakota POV

Donna had run up the stairs and pushed Edward out of the way, probably to lead me around. Whoo a little follower! I met Bella's eyes once and looked away. They were an astonishing chocolate brown. He sighed and picked Donna up, putting her down a few steps behind him. I giggled and continued walking up till we came to his room.

CDs covered the wall mostly, a nice looking stereo, a comfy looking bed...I might kick him out of his room for that bed. Anyways, he grabbed my arm and towed me over to the CD wall. "Ah...classical...could use rock but...whatever." I mumbled and continued reading.

Debussy...Vivaldi...Beethoven...Mozart...Bach...Wagner...It's very blinding to me, but I do like Clair de Lune and Moonlight Sonata.

Bella came up behind Edward and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek. I 'awwed' and grinned, trying to hold back laughter.

"Hey," Donna had yelled out, "no PDA!" I let a laugh out.

"Donna, please," He started, "you've made out not only in high school, but also in middle school. And you have the nerve to tell me that I'm doing too much PDA in my own home."

"Hey," She retorted, "I don't believe I asked you to put your two cents in now did I? Now shut your dirty mouth!" I fell back on the bed and laughed full-fledged.

Edward turned around and wrapped his arms around Bella's waist, kissing her cheek also.

Even through my laughter, which was now subsiding, I heard her say "I'm going to go home,"

Edward's face fell. Wow. I never noticed that would ever happen.

"Why?" He asked quietly.

I don't think I was conscious for the rest of their conversation...

_--Flashback--_

_"Hey, Eddie!" I called after the copper-haired boy._

_He skidded to a stop, and then he ran up to me. He was eleven and I was twelve, best friends since toddler-ages._

_"What're we gonna do today?" I asked, stooping down to his height._

_"Ah...hike?" He said, his emerald eyes suddenly bright._

_"Sure." I said, then smiled tauntingly and ran most of the way around the lake and stopped at a trail head. He caught up with me, bending over to catch his breath._

_"Out of shape..." I muttered._

_He had heard that and pinched me before walking rapidly up the trail._

_"Hey! Slow down! You'll trip." I called after him and ran. I had chosen a hard trail, so jumping over logs would be necessary. I slowed to a walk beside him and slowed my breathing._

_"You think I'd trip." I said, starting up a conversation._

_I blinked. "Well, yeah. Walking fast can end quickly with tripping over a log or a rock..."_

_He grumbled something, which sounded like: "...care about me too much."_

_I rolled my eyes, "Best friends make sure the other is safe."_

_--Flashback end--_

"Eddie, no offense, but that sounds wrong to my ears!" Donna said.

"Donna! Get your mind out of the gutter," I said, mock scolding her, giggle fit coming again.

"Really, though," She said "we'll have the rest of the week to get to know each other. I'll take Donna home."

"Bella, I want you to stay. We'll have so much fun with you two around."

Edward replied, sounding a bit whiney to my ears.

"Please, Edward. Do it for me." She had pulled that one line out. The best puppy dog face I'd ever seen pulled up on her face.

He sighed, "You have no idea the power you have over me," He muttered, defeated. "You can go, but you better be coming over tomorrow, alright?"

"Of course," She said and kissed him.

I watched them both walk out of the door, giving a small wave before turning to him.

"So, she seems nice." I said happily.

"Amazing girl, she is. You really should get-" I waved my hand dismissively.

"You said so on the phone." I reminded him.

"Oh yeah..."

"Right."

I looked at him, then toward the door. Someone was coming up.

A high-pitched squeal came from a caramel-haired woman.

"EMNAH!" I squeaked and fell backwards off the bed. I grabbed the bed and pulled myself back up.

Esme was standing there, a huge grin spread on her face.

"I knew it! Edward said you were talking about coming to Washington!" She squeaked again and pulled me into a hug.

"Suffocating...help…"

**A.N. So, does anyone like Dakota? I really love her character. DakotaCullen is doing a great job of cooperating with me. I like working with her and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to DakotaCullen. Thank you for being patient with us.**


	16. Animal I Have Become

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Dak POV:**

I blinked after Esme let me go. After regaining balance, I blinked more before exhaling and taking a cautious step forward.

"Hiiiii-eeeeeee!" I pulled my voice out to make a long, continuous, buzzing 'eeee'. Edward came over and clapped me on the shoulder.

"You're the midget now. Hope you're having fun with that." He joked and messed up my hair.

I grumbled and stalked out, shifting silent down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Alice, Emmett, and Carlisle were standing there, probably having heard me squeak when Esme trampled me. I pulled a sheepish smile and strode forward, opening my arms up.

"DAKOOOOTA!!!!!" Alice squealed and pulled me into a mighty hug for such a small girl.

"Remember, Alice, no playing Barbie with me." I patted her on the back, gave her a quick hug then looked at Emmett.

"Dakky!" He sounded like a kid saying 'Mommy!' when she just got home from work.

"Em, if you dare pull me into-"I was cut off by a bear hug.

"Yes, yes you're making it difficult to breathe. Suffocating again…" I muttered and pulled away. I walked to Carlisle and hugged him like a second father. He hugged me back then I stepped away. I saw that he had a small loving smile on his face. There was a clatter behind Carlisle, and I saw Esme pulling out pots and pans.

"Esme," I said quietly, "what are you making?"

She flashed me a large grin and replied, "A surprise just for you." I didn't push her any further, knowing that she was a powerful force in the kitchen. Anything she made would taste great, except for the time she tried to make cheesecake. It took her hours, and it ended up falling apart and it was soggy instead of creamy.

While Esme worked in the kitchen, the rest of the family sat in the living room and I followed. Once we all sat on the couch, we just talked like we were back in Maine on a summer day. These people were my family, and this was our reunion.

**BPOV:**

I sat on my bed with Donna sitting across from me, looking through my iPod.

"Jesus, Bella, I thought I taught you better than to buy Alice's crappy music. I freaking _rockifyed _you! And this is the thanks I get?" Donna shook her head and had a sad look on her face.

"Okay, Donna, you know that I love you, and I think your music is okay…"

"Just okay? Hell, try real, heart- felt, awesome!"

"But, I only want to hear about Dakota." I let the anger and jealousy that I held in at the Cullen house flash through me. How dare he not tell me about his "best friend?" I think Donna saw my emotions pretty clearly at that moment as I was gritting my teeth and grabbing onto my pillow with an iron grip. She put a hand on my shoulder and went to sit next to me. Pretty soon, the angry tears piled out of my eyes.

"Damn it!" I yelled. "This shouldn't have any effect on me! Why didn't Edward tell me anything? He just freaking kept her a secret. It's just like Tanya all over again!"

"Okay, Bella. Take a deep breath and relax please. Now, I was misleading on Tanya. I'm sorry. She's not out to sabotage your relationship or anything. I'm just a dumbass for telling you that she wanted Edward back.

"Now, about Dakota. She's actually pretty awesome. And you don't have anything to worry about because I would know if they had a romantic past. Edward would have told me. He tells me everything about his romantic life."

"Really?"

"Yupp."

"Well, does he make you swear on your grave not to tell anyone?"

"Um… I see where this is going, Bella. You have nothing to worry about, trust me."

"Well, if Edward and Dakota don't have a romantic past, what if they have a romantic _future_?" After saying this, another round of angry tears came out.

"Oh God, Bella! Pull yourself together, woman! Don't be a drama queen like Alice was when the guy she liked in freshman year was dancing with another girl at the Spring Formal."

"You heard about that?"

"Oh yeah! It was a very entertaining story, though I do feel sorry for you for having to listen to Alice all night." I laughed as I thought about that night, and how Alice nagged me every five seconds for chocolate or more Kleenex.

"In Alice's defense, she was PMSing really badly," I said this through the laughter that took over my body.

"She's always PMSing. She just needed an excuse to go into waterfall mode." I began laughing even harder and Donna finally broke and laughed with me.

"Thank you, Donna," I said once I was able to control my laughter. I still had a huge smile on my face, which made me forget about my problems. Then I realized she was trying to distract me, but I just shrugged it off as Donna continued looking through my iPod.

"Now here's a good song!" She plugged my iPod into my speakers. Then she put up the volume and played the song. It was Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace.

"Well," I said, "I don't even remember putting that onto my iPod."

"Well… I may or may not have gone onto your computer and put some good music on your iPod," Donna said with a mischievous smirk. I just fell back onto the bed and let Donna have total control over which music was playing. It didn't matter much anyway. Donna did always have the perfect song to listen to. Donna once told me that her mother took her to an anger management group when she was eleven. She mostly messed around till it was over.

But then, Donna told me about how she was about to walk out the room when some kid grabbed he and gave her a CD. She asked what it was for, and he smiled and told her it was for controlling her anger since she didn't seem like the kind of person who needed therapy. The CD was filled with Metallica, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin (which was one of her favorite bands), Pantera, and Avenged Sevenfold, which was her all time favorite band. It was on that fateful day that music became one of her passions. She felt very strong about music and treasured it.

There was only one thing I felt that strongly about, and that was Edward, as corny and obsessive as that may sound. And feeling that he was going to be taken away, I was possessive of him now more than ever. It was a really crappy feeling. It was almost like Donna becoming deaf or the mall closing down for Alice. My life had changed because of Edward. It wasn't a quick dramatic change, but I knew that I was changed enough.

I was optimistic, brave, and above all, in love. And I would be damned if I let any of that go.

-

Time flew by on Monday. I was used to the slow Mondays that dragged on forever. And just when I wanted this Monday to be slow, it just had to go by in one snap of a finger. Gone. And the reason I wanted a slow moving Monday was because of Dakota. I wanted to avoid confrontation for as along as possible. Afraid that I would say something that would upset Edward regarding Dakota, I kept my mouth shut for almost the entire day which wasn't that big of a deal seeing as how quickly the day went.

I pulled up to Edward's house with anxiety rushing through my body. I didn't want to see Dakota. Especially after the dream I had last night. In my dream, I saw Dakota with a beautiful grin plastered on her face. Her eyes seemed to be glowing with happiness. She held her hand out and I took it. I trusted her in the dream. Then her eyes turned red and the lovely grin turned into an evil smirk. Behind her I saw Edward, staring at her with the look of adoration he gave me before he would kiss me. She turned around and her eyes turned into the normal color and she mirrored Edward's face.

I tried to yell, to tell Edward that she wasn't who he thought she was, but nothing came out. Helplessness and grief washed over me as waves washed over Edward and Dakota, who were holding hands and leaning in towards each other. I made one final attempt to cry out to Edward as the ocean grabbed him and took him away.

So the nervousness must have been clearly visible when Emmett answered the door because he took me in a small embrace, clearly telling me to be calm. I was used to his giant hugs that strangled me with affection. With the small hug, he was showing love while trying not to smother me. His attempt to ease my nerves proved to be a failure and I couldn't stop the remorse that overtook me. God, I was being stupid.

In the living room, Dakota and Edward were sitting on the large sofa watching T.V. while Alice was sitting on the recliner, sleeping. I walked over to Alice and sat on her lap and she woke up immediately.

"Bella!" She squealed my name with delight and I didn't know why she was so excited to see me. Then it hit me. I hadn't been spending a lot of time with the girl I called my best friend. I still loved Alice, but I was spending way too much time with Edward and forgetting my friendships. It's like when Donna told me about how I wasn't spending any time with her and how she missed me. I finally got it. Edward was taking over my life. Not that I didn't mind, but I didn't realize how it was affecting others.

As Alice hung onto my shoulders in what seemed like desperation, I clung back with just as much force. Someone cleared their throat and I turned around to see Edward looking at me, waiting. I moved to get up but Alice hugged me tighter.

"Edward," Alice said, "You hog Bella too much, anyway. Today she's mine."

Edward, who seemed amused, replied, "Well then, you better get a room." Dakota chuckled and shook her head as Edward reached down to scoop me up. Alice bared her teeth and growled. Then she nipped at Edward's hand. He backed up quickly and looked at Alice with shock.

"Did you just bite me?"

Alice smirked. "As a matter of fact, I did. She's my Bella today."

"And you accuse me of being clingy," he scoffed. Dakota smirked and shook her head as Edward sat next to her again.

"You're gonna let that happen without a fight?" Dakota looked at Edward with disapproval.

"There's no use in trying. Alice is an immovable force of nature. When she says that Bella is hers, she means it." Edward frowned and leaned back into the sofa.

I was upset that he didn't put up more of a fight. He just let Alice take me without an argument or anything.

I leaned back into Alice and she rested her chin on my shoulder. Alice's grasp loosened on me and Edward got up slowly. Alice seemed to be entirely focused on the T.V. and this was Edward's chance. He walked slowly towards the front hallway, but just as he was about to leave the living room, he lunged towards the recliner and took hold of me. Alice jumped up immediately and tugged me back. But Edward wasn't giving up so easily.

It became a tug- of- war match between Edward and Alice. Of course, Alice cheated by hitting Edward and trying to bite him yet again. I was still being held by Edward, but Alice had somehow made him almost drop me and she caught me. This feud went on for about a minute before Dakota let out an exasperated sigh and got up. She walked towards where the quarrel was taking place and grabbed me. She then dragged me up the stairs and into the guest room where she locked the door.

Fear came over me as I thought about my dream. But when she turned around, she smiled at me and walked to the bed. She flopped down on the bed and sighed again.

"Well," she said, "that was interesting." There was pounding on the door, followed by Alice yelling cuss words at Dakota. She rolled her eyes and told them to shut up.

"So…" I said pathetically. I was in desperate need of a good conversation with this girl, one that would not allow me to blurt out my insecurities.

All of a sudden, the door opened and Edward ran in a swooped me up. Then he kissed me. Of course, Dakota had to butt in.

"Wow, Edward," she said in an amused voice, "way to come in here all dramatically. So, are you some kind of knight? And is Bella the damsel?"

Edward didn't get a chance to reply before Alice smacked him in the back of the head and he dropped me. My butt hit the floor with a loud boom, which was followed by the heat flooding to my cheeks. Dakota walked to me and helped me up.

"You okay, Bella?" Her voice sounded so concerned that I almost wanted to trust her. But the damn dream stopped me. I thought of the wicked red eyes. I closed me eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn't let the dream destroy me. I opened my eyes and locked them on Edward. I no longer felt the pain in my butt as I walked to Edward and yanked him out of the room to his room.

"Bella," his voice pleaded, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to drop you. Are you okay?"

"Edward, I'm not mad at you." He looked at me with doubt. I took his doubt away with a swift kiss on the cheek. He smiled at me.

"I need to talk to you Edward." The smile disappeared and he had a panicked look. I again kissed his cheek and began telling him about my dream. I had to tell him so he knew why I was acting strange. Maybe he hadn't noticed, but I knew Emmett did and Alice probably did also.

When I finished, he stared at me with a puzzled expression. Great, I thought, now he knows I'm insecure and he probably thinks that I don't trust him.

I was relieved when he took a deep breath and began talking. But when I heard the words he was saying, the relief quickly left.

"Bella, it's just a dream."

"Don't tell me it's just a dream," I told him harshly.

"Fine, it's a nightmare. But you have nothing to worry about."

"Don't be a smart ass."

"I'm not. I'm just saying that it shouldn't even bother you."

"But it does."

"Well, get over it."

"I can't believe you're not on my side! God, Edward, you're choosing _her_."

"I'm not choosing sides to a conflict that doesn't exist."

"Not yet. How do you know it won't happen in the future?"

"Bella, don't be ridiculous."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm not being ridiculous."

"Fine, you're just acting stupid." He must have realized his mistake as soon as that last word came out because he looked astounded that he would say something like that to me.

"And your being a jackass," I spat back harshly.

"Bella, I said acting. I never said you were stupid."

"What's the difference?" He didn't have a comeback. "Can't be a smartass now can you?"

I got up and left. He didn't stop me. He just sat there looking at me. I didn't cry. It would have been completely pathetic of me to do so. I just walked out of the house with a look of indifference. On the inside though, I was severely pissed.

-

**Dak POV:**

"Damn it!" Edward was yelling. He had been doing this for about an hour since Bella left.

"Well…" Alice said, "I think that has been the tenth damn it in the last five minutes." I nodded at her and sighed. I had been doing a lot of that for the past couple of hours.

Edward looked irritated after Alice said that. He pointed at his door and stared straight at Alice. "Out," he spat out in one of the harshest tones I'd ever heard him use. Alice flipped him off and walked out.

"So…" I said quietly. He let out an agitated groan and fell onto his bed.

"So, now Bella is pissed off at you now because?"

"She's pissed because I said a really bogus thing to her."

"And that would be?"

"I said she was stupid."

"Why the hell would you do that?"

"I don't know," he said miserably. I almost felt bad for him, but…

"You dumbass." It was plain and simple, almost written across his forehead. He was a dumbass.

"You're not helping."

"I'm not trying to." He sighed, yet again.

"Fine, I'll tell you what happened." So he did. From Bella talking about her weird dream to him being a dumbass.

"Wow, you guys are a couple of drama queens. It's almost like you wanted to get in a fight."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain. I guess I think that it could have been easily been resolved. You could have just been a bit more understanding of her worries. You're supposed to be her boyfriend after all. But I think you two were in need of a fight anyway."

"No, fights suck."

"Well, no relationship is perfect. Without fights, you're not human. It's as simple as that." Edward just blinked as if I was speaking Polish.

After about a minute of cluelessness on Edward's part, he finally spoke.

"Dakota?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to help me?"

"No. You got yourself into the problem, so now you have to get yourself out."

"Would you help me if I promised to never make fun of that one time Alice put you in a dress and took pictures of you and posted them all over the school on your tenth birthday?"

"You have a deal," I said quickly, wanting terribly to forget the disturbing thoughts that haunted my mind. That ugly, pink monster of a dress was the star of my nightmares for about a month after my tenth birthday.

"Okay, so here's my plan," Edward began in a quiet voice.

I listened as he told me what he wanted me to do. I nodded when he was finished telling me.

"So," he said, sounding rather pleased that he came up with this plan all on his own. "What do you think?"

"I think it sucks."

"Well too bad because it's the only one I've got."

"Okay, so, if I am correct, you want me to go over to the house of the girl who feels that my existence is a threat to your everlasting relationship and tell her that I'm not a threat?"

"Yupp, pretty much."

"Hmm, somehow, no idea why I think this, I don't think it'll work," I said with the sarcasm oozing out.

"Well, just make it work."

"And you can't talk to her yourself because…"

"Because she's still probably mad at me."

"Okay, I'll do this for you, but not today. Let's give her a few days, and then I'll go into action."

"Dakota, you're a saint!" He said this with such relief and optimism that I almost believed his pathetic plan of having me win over Bella's trust wasn't useless. But the reality sunk into me once I left his room.

**A.N. How many of you are pissed off at me? Say I. *I* I know, it's been a month and a half about and I feel like crap for making you wait. I won't make up half- ass excuses because that would be pathetic of me. Anyway, hope you like the chapter. I have one thing to ask of you, as horrible it may sound after I made you wait for this long. Does anyone have any song recommendations? Because I realized that I am probably putting too much rock music in and I need to add more music genres into the story. Please help me if you can. Thank you.**


	17. Had Enough

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

**BPOV:**

Well, some people may think it weak of me that I shed a few tears once I got home. But hell, it was over Edward- freaking- Masen. That shouldn't have been an excuse after what he said to me, but I couldn't help it. And feeling helpless sucked.

I looked around for the CD Donna made, hoping some of the songs would help me in my time of need. What I didn't see the day before was that she laid another CD on my desk. I opened it and a note fell out. I took it out and read it.

_Bella,  
This is for when you're pissed off. I call it the Playlist of Peevishness. I hope it'll help you with your anger as it has mine. Not that you have anger problems or anything. I'm just saying… I'll shut up now. Anyway, I'm making Playlist of Happiness for you. You'll love it!  
Love, Donna._

I giggled a bit after re- reading the note. I could just imagine Donna talking to me and I was glad that this CD had just some how coincidentally ended up on my desk. I put it in my CD player and turned the volume up. The first song was frighteningly loud and I almost fell off my bed. I changed the song to a song that seemed tamer.

_Milk it for all it's worth.  
Make sure you get there first.  
The apple of your eye.  
The rotten core inside.  
We are all prisoners.  
Things couldn't get much worse.  
I've had it up to here; you know your end is near._

_You had to have it all,  
Well have you had enough?  
You greedy little bastard,  
You will get what you deserve.  
When all is said and done,  
I will be the one to leave you in the misery and hate what you've become._

I thought of the lyrics and thought of how they could possibly relate to my problem with Edward. The little bastard part fit perfectly. And I really hated how he treated me earlier. But I believed the "things couldn't get much worse" quote was a bit inaccurate. It would probably get worse if he didn't apologize.

_Intoxicated eyes, no longer live that life.  
You should have learned by now, I'll burn this whole world down.  
I need some peace of mind, no fear of what's behind.  
You think you've won this fight, you've only lost your mind_.

I listened to the chorus and shouted it angrily. If only Edward could have heard me then. I would've loved to show him how pissed off I really was. But then again, he probably already guessed.

-

I listened to the entire CD. Twice. I didn't realize how strong Donna's passion for music could possibly be until I felt the emotions of the songs. I almost wanted to find Donna, jump into her arms and thank her a million times over. The CD really helped me.

I put the CD on my iTunes and put it on my iPod. After doing that, I went downstairs and looked in the fridge. There was a knock on the door and I hesitated. What if it was Edward? I was too pissed to even look at him. But what if he wanted to apologize? I sighed and walked over to the door.

When I opened it, I'm sure my jaw dropped to the floor and my face must have turned tomato red. Standing there was Dakota in her ratty jeans and a dark blue rain coat. She looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"What do you want?" I said this curtly and with as little venom as possible. I didn't want to be too rude.

"May I please talk to you?" I nodded. At least she had manners, even if she was potentially a man- stealing whore.

"What do you want?" I repeated this with curiosity rather than anger. I really wanted to know why she was here, though I was kind of guessing.

"Edward sent me here."

"To apologize?"

"No, to tell you that you shouldn't feel threatened."

"Well you can tell him that he can grow some balls and kiss my…"

"I get it. He needs to man up. I actually have my own reasons for coming here."

"Really?"

"Yes. I just wanted to get to know you since our chance earlier were ruined by Edward's stupidity."

"Oh. I don't think that's too good of an idea."

"Yes, I know, it could be disastrous. But I figured that if you're afraid of me…"

"I am _not _afraid of you. I'm just afraid of losing Edward _to you_." Why the hell was she at my house again?

"Alright, sorry. Anyway, you know how people fear things they don't know anything about? Well, let's apply that to this situation. Does that sound good?" I nodded and rolled my eyes before leading her up to my room.

She sat in my computer chair and I sat on my bed. For the next hour, we sat trying to discuss things that we had in common. The problem was, we had nothing in common, and I was too stubborn to answer her questions right away.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"This isn't working too well."

"Well, it was _your_ idea!"

"I know! But it was a good one. Better than just leaving things alone without trying to find a solution. At least I want your relationship with Edward to work."

"What makes you think that I don't!?"

"Because you're not trying!"

"Of course I am! It's his fault. If he would just apologize to me, I would probably get over it." Dakota waited a few seconds before responding.

"Well, I could help you with that."

"Just him apologizing wouldn't work right now. I need time away from him." Another pause from Dakota before our eyes met and she smiled.

"What is the funniest moment you've ever had with Donna?" Wow, big random subject change. I guess it was a good idea though. Now the tension that had filled the room before had vanished as I smiled back at her and began talking.

We asked a bunch of questions. What is the stupidest thing Emmett has done? Has Alice ever picked out our clothes for an entire month? What is the corniest thing Edward has said? This light hearted conversation lasted for another hour. I realized that I didn't have a pang of jealousy whenever I looked into her eyes. It made me feel stronger. This was just what I needed.

When Charlie got home, I introduced him to Dakota. I didn't call her my friend, but I did say my new buddy. He invited her over for dinner, but she said she needed to leave. I walked her out to the car she drove. I think it was Carlisle's car. Before getting in the door, she asked one last question.

"So, do you want me to just tell him what to do?"

"Nope. He has to get it right on his own, but thank you. See you later, Dakota."

She winked at me and drove off into the fog. It was going to be a long week without Edward around me all the time, unless he figured out what to do by tomorrow. But he was stubborn, and I knew I would just have to wait.

-

**Dak POV:**

I Drove out of the driveway of Bella's house, going to the opposite way from when I came. I wanted to be alone...By myself, to think without the constant bugging of Alice and Donna. I plugged in my iPod and listened to When You Come Back Down by Nickel Creek. It had been a while since I had listened to it. Edward and I loved this song. It was our "theme song" as Alice would call it. We always sang it together. Memories of him sneaking up on me while I was practicing guitar became overwhelming. I pulled to the side of the road and just sat in the car, letting the memories fill me up. God, I missed the way it used to be.

Kryptonite by Three Doors Down rang. Edward was calling me.

"Yello," I answered, and before Edward could answer, a rumble of thunder shook the car.

"Donna's gonna draw blood from my arm. She's anticipating your return." Edward growled, and I literally mean, growled.

"Hmph. Tell her I have a major head ache, and when I get home, not to bother me." I wasn't into the whole talking with Donna right now. I needed time to think.

"Alright." I heard him talking to Donna.

"Alight, I'll be back in a few." I hung up and sped back around to the Cullen residence.

-

I groaned and flopped onto the bed. I had a wicked headache. Thoughts were swirling around my head, leaving me no peace. Maybe I could tell someone what was on my mind. Perhaps I should talk to either Donna or Esme. They would help me a whole lot. I was thinking about why I had come here. Well, why did I come here? I came here to see my friends, not to make someone think I was a bad person or to ruin their life or relationship with someone. I actually did a good thing, too. I brightened up a young girl's life who was being tortured by her older sister and mother. Edward was even happier when I walked through that door, and his family was ecstatic. I was happy too, of course. But still, it hurt me a whole lot to see that someone could think of me as a person I'm not.

As if he could read my damned-to-hell thoughts, Edward came in and sat on the bed with a sigh.

"You know very well that I can read your thoughts." He scooted up next to me and sat cross-legged, his knees brushing my forearm.

"Yeah, well...I'm...hurt...a bit." I couldn't even say it, but I just choked it out anyways.

He played around with my fingers, sliding my "promise" ring (my friends made me do that so I don't go into depression again) off my finger and back on while I poured my thoughts out. Even Donna and Esme joined us to listen.

"And so…" I closed my eyes tightly, hearing Cherokee drums in my head.

I was shocked when Donna threw her arms around my shoulders and pressed her face into the crook of my neck.

"Don't go…" She whispered.

"I won't, I won't ever go till I'm forced out of this place." I smiled and hugged her back before pushing her off me and sat up, only to be showered by hugs from my second family.

Maybe I could convince my 'rents to let me live here...Heck, I'm joking...though I wish I could. The only disadvantage would be the rain. But I didn't really have too much of a problem with it.

-

I sat down on the couch with a bowl of steaming white rice with chicken gravy on it. For Christ's sake, it's good comfort food! Alice joined me with a cup of fruit salad. We faced each other, sitting Indian-style before blabbering on and on about going shopping for a dress that would be good for Friday night. We were planning a night, a formal night, with karaoke and dancing and...stuff.

Though I could sing, I wasn't anticipating towards it. I don't like to sing in public, actually, I don't like to do anything in public.

"So where will we be going?" When I asked this, Alice got this special gleam in her eyes and she smile.

"This club in Seattle. This one woman Bella and I met a few months ago works there. They have a karaoke night once a week. I'm so excited!" Once she mentioned Bella's name, my stomach churned a bit. I wasn't sure if she still hated me. I think that she might tolerate me, but I wasn't sure if it was enough for her to like me.

"Is Bella going?" I was split between wanting to get a chance to talk to her and wanting to fake sick so I didn't have to see any hateful expressions from her.

"Of course she is! It's not karaoke without Bella! But, it will be weird going there with Jasper, Emmett and Edward now that football is done. We haven't gone to a karaoke club in a really long time!"

I nodded and went back to eating. God, the gravy practically seeped into my taste buds.

"And why must we dress up for this?" I didn't want to buy a dress that I would never wear again.

"We have to make a good impression. And because I love dress shopping!" She would never change.

-

Alice and Edward got out of the car and looked over to Emmett's jeep, which was having difficulty finding a parking spot. I could see his girlfriend getting frustrated and yelling at him inside the jeep. He just sat there gritting his teeth. He was taking it as a man should

I kept sitting in the car, hoping that maybe Bella wouldn't show up. Bella hadn't talked to Edward the entire week, even during biology, the class that they were partners in. I thought that Edward could have apologized by now. Well, he may have tried, but maybe he stopped the words from coming out because he was being stubborn. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. Because as long as Edward and Bella weren't together, I was still somewhat of a "threat."

Emmett had finally found a parking spot and came up to my window and tapped on it. I looked at him and smiled. He opened the door for me and winked. Rosalie jumped out of the jeep scowling.

"Oh sure, open the door for her, but don't open a door or anything for your _girlfriend_. Who had to jump out your freaking monster of a jeep and possibly sprain her ankle!" Rosalie was fuming and I imagined smoke coming out of her ears. It was actually kind of funny how pissed she was.

"Well, ask Edward to escort you to the door since he is currently dateless. I'll take Dakota," Emmett said jokingly. I wasn't amused. I already had a jealous Bella. I didn't want a jealous Rosalie too.

Donna tried jumping out of the jeep, but it was too big of a height for her. Her boyfriend, Seth, hopped over her and out of the jeep. Then he held his arms out for Donna as she fell into his arms. He held her for a few seconds before letting her down and holding her hand.

"SEE! Seth can do that for Donna, but Emmett can't even do that for me, who has been his girlfriend for like two years!" Emmett was sighing as he walked over to Rosalie and lifted her in his arms. She squealed and giggled.

"Are you happy now? I'll carry you for the rest of the night and show everyone how much of a gentleman I can be. I'll even beat Edward!" Rosalie let out an aw before kissing Emmett's chin.

I shook my head and walked inside. The dress was down to my knees, but I still felt exposed because Alice wouldn't let me wear shorts underneath. I kept pulling it down and tried to keep my legs crossed.

"Dakota," Edward whispered in my ear, "you look fine. Stop crossing your legs 'cause you look like you have to piss."

"I feel so exposed! Like Alice will just come up behind me and lift up the skirt and everyone will see my panties!"

"Stop being a whimp!"

"I am not a whimp!" I looked at him and glared.

We continued this till we reached the door. Emmett opened the door for all of us and earned a point on the gentleman scoreboard. All of a sudden, we all heard a roaring sound coming. Edward looked back and got the most ridiculous smile on his face. Bella had shown up.

Edward ran right up to the door of her ancient truck and opened it for her. She narrowed her eyes at him before turning away and looking at me. Then she smiled. Alice saw this and her jaw dropped. She must have been pretty surprised since I never told her about our little meeting earlier in the week.

Bella was wearing a black knee length strapless dress with a blue waistband. Her hair was wavy and in a low ponytail. She had on a light colored lip gloss and blue eye shadow. She looked stunning. Then I realized the Alice wasn't surprised because Bella smiled at me, but because she was able to look absolutely gorgeous without Alice's help.

Bella went to the door and winked at Alice before walking inside the karaoke bar. Edward was staring at her with his jaw dropped. He had a look that said "did she just ignore me?" And I looked into the building before chuckling and nodding at his silent question.

**EPOV:**

It had been an hour since we arrived and Bella hadn't looked at me once. I tried to sit next to her, but Dakota sat there before I could. I thought that Dakota and Bella had some secret treaty that was against me. It sucked, having one of my best friends and my girlfriend against me. Even Emmett and Alice were against me. The only one who wasn't against me was Donna. Well, I thought so at least.

I felt a kick at my shin and looked over to see Donna kissing Seth on the cheek. She had Seth kick me since she couldn't reach. I wasn't about to have a footsy war with her, so I got Donna's attention and asked for her to come over by me. I got up and walked towards the bathrooms and she followed.

"So, what's up Eddie?"

"Wow, sounding pretty casual for a girl that sent her boyfriend to come after me."

"Oh, don't be such a baby about it. I told him not to kick you too hard, so there shouldn't be any bruises. Now what did you want to talk about?"

"How about we discuss why you're not on my side?"

"Well, it's all your fault, so I'm against you."

"Wow, I feel so loved."

"Listen, you better man up and apologize. If you don't, you're going to lose her."

"But it's not even that big of a deal. I'm not sure why she had to get all dramatic about it."

"You made one of the biggest mistakes a boyfriend can make. When your girlfriend spills out her thoughts and feelings for you, you're supposed to comfort her and tell her that you believe her, even if what she thinks is ridiculous."

"Okay, I'm sorry about that."

"Don't apologize to me!"

"Sorr… fine. Fill me with your knowledge, oh wise one."

"Damn straight, I'm wise. All you have to do is say you're sorry, kiss and make up."

"You make it sound so simple."

"There may be difficulties since you waited so long, but it should work. You're lucky I'm helping you! Otherwise you would have no one."

"I thought you were on Bella's side?"

"For now, I'm neutral."

"Thanks, Donnie."

I walked back to the table and looked straight at Bella. She noticed me this time. She was string back at me with the same intensity that I was using on her. I got up, not taking my eyes off of her. I walked to her and offered her my hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

She looked at Alice with desperation and Alice just turned away. Bella sighed and took my hand.

Pretty soon, she was holding my hand and her other hand was on my shoulder while my other one was on her waist. I thought back to homecoming. We had danced so close then. There had to be some way for me to be that close to her again without scaring her away.

The music started and someone began singing. I knew the voice immediately. Dakota was on stage, smiling as she sang. I had no idea what song it was. Dakota looked out at me and winked. She was probably winking at Bella. Whoever it was for, I took is as encouragement. I looked Bella in the eyes again and lifted her chin so she would look back at me.

"Bella," I said softly and with the most sincere voice I could produce, "I'm so sorry." She kept looking up at me with her big eyes. Just saying sorry wasn't enough, so I continued. "I should have listened to you and supported you. It was all so stupid. I don't want our relationship to be over because of something so idiotic."

"It was your fault," Bella said in a whisper.

"I know," I whispered back. "That's why I'm apologizing." I let go of her hand and stroked her cheek. "I couldn't stand myself if I let you go, Bella. Please," I kissed her cheek, "forgive me."

"How long did you rehearse that?" she teased.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

Bella wrapped both of her arms around my shoulders and pulled me so close that our faces were an inch apart. Then she leaned towards my ear and whispered "Of course. I can't hold a grudge against you." I smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

Once Dakota was done singing, she came down by Bella and I.

"Bella," she said, "you forgave him too easily."

"Yes, but I couldn't stay mad at him for any longer."

Dakota rolled her eyes and grabbed Bella's wrist.

"Well," Dakota said, "are we going to sing a song or not?"

-

**BPOV:**

After an exhausting night of singing and being held in Edward's arms after a week of separation, I went home with a completely blissful aura. All of my doubts were erased and all my insecurities were brushed away. The only thing I had to deal with was Dakota leaving.

She had to go to the airport in the morning, and I knew that I would miss her. I felt like such a bitch after she had been so patient and forgiving with me. But I planned on making it up to her in the summer. She invited me and everyone else to spend a week or so in Maine during the summer.

At the Cullen house, Dakota was saying farewell to everyone. Carlisle was driving her to the airport. After hugging a tearful Alice and Donna, she came up to me and smiled.

"So, am I still some bitch trying to steal your man?" I laughed.

"I never said you were a bitch… out loud," I admitted softly. It was her turn to laugh.

Carlisle was getting in the car, signaling that it was time for her departure. Dakota looked at me with sad eyes and smiled. Her smile matched her eyes. She held her arms out for me and I didn't hesitate to embrace her. Our hug was short and friendly.

She waved one last time before getting in the car. Once the car left, my smile did too.

"God," Donna said, "I'm gonna miss her."

"Don't worry," I told Donna, "we'll see her really soon."

We stood in the lawn for a couple minutes before sighing and going in the house. What were we waiting for? Dakota to come back? I wish.

I sat by Edward in the living room and rested my head on his lap as he stroked my hair.

"So, are you going to miss her?" Edward looked down at me with curiosity.

"Of course."

**A.N. I'm finally done with this chapter! I'm so deeply sorry it took me so long. But now I have more time since school is done, and I plan to finish the story this summer. Anyway, I don't know if you've read the one- shot I made with ****xOzackyvOXjakexO for the Epic- T rated contest, but we are debating whether we should make it into a full story or not. Please vote on the poll I have on my profile. If we do decide to make it into a full story, it would only be posted on her profile. Thank you for reading!**

**This chapter is completely dedicated to DakotaCullen. Thank you so much for letting me use your character. It's been great to work with you.**


	18. My Life Would Suck Without You

**I do not own any of the characters in this story that you recognize. Credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

For the next week after Dakota went back home, Donna wasn't the same. So, before we left to go to our usual karaoke club, I confronted Donna. She wouldn't answer me at first, but then Alice came and we were finally able to get it out of her.

"I'm not sad about Dakota leaving. Well, I am, but that's not the main reason. Guys, I might have to move back with my mom." Mine and Alice's jaw dropped, though we shouldn't have been surprised. Donna had been telling us this for months.

So Rosalie, Alice, me, and Donna decided to stay at the house for a girl's night. The first thing we did was dig out as much chocolate as we could form the cupboards. I had no idea why, but I just went with it. Then we set up the karaoke machine. Just because we weren't going out didn't mean that we couldn't sing.

Alice suggested Kelly Clarkson, but Donna shot that idea down. Of course, she sang Kelly Clarkson anyway.

_Guess this means you're sorry  
You're standing at my door  
Guess this means you take back  
All you said before  
Like how much you wanted  
Anyone but me  
Said you'd never come back  
But here you are again_

The song was so catchy that Rosalie and I just had to start singing.

_'Cause we belong together now, yeah  
Forever united here somehow, yeah  
You got a piece of me  
And honestly,  
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you_

Rosalie sang the next part.

_Maybe I was stupid for telling you goodbye  
Maybe I was wrong for tryin' to pick a fight  
I know that I've got issues  
But you're pretty messed up too  
Either way, I found out I'm nothing without you _

Donna sang the chorus, finally embracing Kelly Clarkson and her catchiness.__

'Cause we belong together now, yeah  
Forever united here somehow, yeah  
You got a piece of me  
And honestly,  
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you 

I sang the next part.__

Being with you  
Is so dysfunctional  
I really shouldn't miss you  
But I can't let you go  
Oh yeah 

We all started dancing around, and Donna was going crazy over the song.__

'Cause we belong together now, yeah  
Forever united here somehow, yeah  
You got a piece of me  
And honestly,  
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

'Cause we belong together now, yeah  
Forever united here somehow, yeah  
You got a piece of me  
And honestly,  
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

"So, Donna," Rosalie said, "Kelly Clarkson isn't for preppy bitches anymore now, is it?"

"Shut up! I gave it a chance! That's all that matters." Donna smiled and walked over to the microphone and selected a song to sing. When she started singing, Alice giggled.

_One pill makes you larger  
And one pill makes you small  
And the ones that mother gives you  
Don't do anything at all  
Go ask Alice  
When she's ten feet tall_

Donna began dancing around to the style of the music. __

And if you go chasing rabbits  
And you know you're going to fall  
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar  
Has given you the call  
Call Alice  
When she was just small

Alice was dancing around with Donna and trying to pull me up.__

When men on the chessboard  
Get up and tell you where to go  
And you've just had some kind of mushroom  
And your mind is moving low  
Go ask Alice  
I think she'll know

I eventually got up and danced with her.__

When logic and proportion  
Have fallen sloppy dead  
And the White Knight is talking backwards  
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"  
Remember what the dormouse said:  
"Feed your head  
Feed your head  
Feed your head"

Rosalie was laughing and clapping once we bowed.

Alice sat back down next to Rosalie and put her head on Rosalie's shoulder. It was the first time that I had seen Rosalie have any sort of friendliness with Alice. I seriously believed that Rosalie was a cold hearted bitch. Whenever I saw her, I thought of the son Heartless. And yet there she was, wrapping her arms around Alice's small form and hugging her like there wasn't a tomorrow.

Donna decided that we shouldn't watch a movie, so she proposed that we play a game.

"Not truth or dare," Rosalie said.

"Of course not," Donna said, insulted. "I'm more creative than that. Well, maybe not but still. I won't play truth or dare unless the guys are here so I can make them do stupid shit."

"What are we playing then?"

"We're playing what would you do.

"Okay, now we can only ask one person and no one else can answer. I'll start."

Donna looked around for her first victim. Her eyes landed on me and they narrowed.

"Bella, what would you do if Rosalie was to give you a hug right now?"

I waited a few seconds before speaking. I didn't want to answer honestly, but I guess that was the point of the game.

"I would probably gasp in shock and scream bloody murder. Then I would assume that the end of the world was here."

Rosalie glared at me and I swear I saw fire coming out of her ears.

"Wow," Donna said with shock. "Bella, it's your turn."

"Rosalie, what would you do if Emmett told you that he didn't want to have sex with you?" That was a really crappy question to ask. Rosalie got even more pissed and narrowed her eyes even more.

"Bella, I am a _virgin_. God, what do people not get about that? I've never had sex with Emmett or anyone. Emmett is a virgin too. We're _waiting_. Why do people always assume that we're just a horny teenage couple who just want to have sex all the time? What is wrong with people?"

My eyes were wide (with fright, I'm sure) and my mouth hung open. I guess I just figured someone who looked like Rosalie and someone like Emmett would be having sex already. Rosalie rolled her eyes and asked Donna a question.

"Donna, what would you do if Seth came in right now with Geddy Lee and said he wanted to run away with you?"

"I would say no because first of all, my dad would hunt us down and kill him. Secondly, I wouldn't be able to make enough money to feed Geddy. And third, I would miss you guys. I don't want to go to Alaska, so what makes you think I would want to run away from you guys?"

"Awwwwwwwww," Rosalie, Alice and I said at the same time before hugging Donna. She tried to wrap her arms around all three of us before giving up and wrapping her arms around Alice.

"Alice, what would you do if Keanu Reeves came in and asked you to marry him?"

"I would say no because I admire his acting, not his looks, and because I have spent years swooning after Jasper. Do you think I would give that up to marry a really rich, talented actor?"

"Well…" Donna said. Alice threw an empty can of soda at Donna's head.

"Okay, Rosalie," Alice said. "What would you do if Irina came in right now and told you that Emmett knocked her up?"

"Impossible," Rosalie said with confidence.

"And why would you say that?"

"'Cause she would be dead before she could have the chance to have sex with Emmett."

"All right Rose!" Donna began clapping and high- fiving Rosalie as she said this. "Finally, I have another girl who can help me kick her ass. Welcome to team anti- Irina!"

"Okay," Rosalie said, "this is getting boring. How about some confessions?"

"Fine," I said, "you first." Rosalie sighed before she began.

"When I was fifteen, I had a huge crush on Edward. When I asked him out…"

I wouldn't let her finish. "YOU ASKED HIM OUT?" I couldn't help the fury that came over me. It was three years ago, but I couldn't help it. Thinking of Edward with another girl frightened me and made me want to die.

"Yes, I did. Don't interrupt me. Anyway, when I asked him out and he turned me down, very politely, I cried when I got home. Then, the next day, I really looked at Emmett and began crushing on him. After I realized that I liked Emmett, I felt like a whore because I was crushing on both him and Edward. When I tried to ignore Emmett, he just tried to get closer to me. Finally, I caved when we were sophomores, and now I have no regrets.

"I also have another confession." These words were followed by Rosalie digging into her pocket and pulling out a diamond ring.

"OH MY GOD!" Alice screamed this while I was speechless. Donna lunged across the table and gave Rosalie what could only be described as a death grip. Rosalie still looked happy as she hugged Donna back. Alice and I finally snapped out of this as Alice grabbed the ring and I patted Rosalie on the back. Rosalie, instead, pulled me into a hug.

"Not screaming now are you Bella?" Rosalie chuckled as she said this. No I wasn't, but that was because I was too shocked.

"So," Alice said as casually as possible, trying to contain her squeals. "When is this wedding happening?"

"Not till us both get good jobs."

"So," Alice said again, than she squealed the next part. "Do I get to help plan it!?"

Rosalie nodded and was attacked by Alice. Donna, who had gotten over the excitement, began her confession.

"I am in love with Seth, in case you guys didn't know. But, now that I'm moving, I think he won't want to be with me anymore. He'll lose interest in a long- distance relationship, and he'll find another girl. I will not let that happen. So I've decided," Donna took a deep breath, "to have sex with him, in hopes that he will wait for me till summer and won't hook up with some other girl."

Rosalie shook her head. "Donna, don't give yourself up for a guy while you're so young."

"He's not just a guy, Rosalie. He's Seth. And besides, Irina had sex for the first time when she was thirteen."

"Donna, Irina has no respect for herself. You have so much independence and self respect. I would hate for you to end up like her."

Donna glared at Rosalie. "Don't _ever_ compare me to Irina." I had never been afraid of Donna, but at that moment she scared me more than Rosalie ever had.

"Then don't make the same stupid mistakes that Irina made."

"SETH IS NOT A MISTAKE!"

"If he loves you, he'll wait."

"That's the thing, though," Donna said quietly. "I have no idea if he's in love with me. If he's not, that doesn't matter. I love him, and I refuse to let him slip away. So if I have to give up my virginity, I'll do it."

"Donna," Rosalie said softly. "You have too much self respect for that."

"Rosalie," Donna said miserably. "I would rather die then not be with Seth. I'm too far in love with him to even want to think about not being with him. I've had dreams of him with other girls, and I wake up sobbing and screaming. _I will not live without him!_"

"Donna, if you want to do this to make him love you, it's a wasted effort. I think that if you love him this much, then I am positive that he has to feel almost the same way for you."

Donna looked up at Rosalie before collapsing into her arms.

"I hope so," Donna mumbled, agonized. "God, I hope you're right." Donna's body began to tremble, and I realized that she was crying. Rosalie ran her hand through Donna's hair and patted her back.

Things settled down after a few minutes, and Donna had begun to eat a chocolate bar.

"I'm sorry guys," Donna said. "I'm really hormonal right now. Half the crap I'm saying is a bunch of bull-shit anyway. I hate PMS." I laughed quietly before pulling Donna into a hug.

"Well, now that concludes our dramatic portion of this evening," Alice said in a newscaster voice.

"What do you guys want to do now?" Rosalie asked quietly.

"Movies?" I suggested.

All the girls nodded. We ended up watching Iron Man, since it was Donna's favorite movie. I began falling asleep about halfway, and so did Alice. Before drifting off, I heard Alice ask, "When did Emmett buy a ring?"

And then I fell asleep.

**A.N. I'm SSSSOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY! Seriously, I am so freakin' sorry! And I have some more bad news to tell you. I am temporarily giving up until I can get all my crap together with this story. At the beginning of the summer, I had really high hopes for this story and thought I could finish it by the end of this month, but now I don't think I can do it. I just am not feeling it.**

**On a happier note, the one- shot I did with ZJ made it to the second round, which we were really proud of. It didn't place, but that's okay. I now have a poll on my profile whether we should continue Going, Going, Gone or not. Please vote! I ask too much of you… XOXO**


	19. Author's Note

I realize I have not written in my story for about two years. I'm not even going to try to apologize for this fact. What I will say is that I was extremely touched by the fact that I logged onto my fanfiction page after these years and saw that some people are still reading this.

I have considered starting up again and finishing this story. I have also considered giving this story to someone else and let them finish it. If anyone is interested, please send me a message or review. If someone should choose to finish my story, I will be more than happy to tell them my ideas.

Thank you very much to anyone who is reading this. It truly means a lot to me.


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